Losing Everything
by evgrrl09
Summary: Morgan and Garcia were happily married, but distance grows between them and they separate. After saving their children from an unsub, their daughter, Tala begins to spiral through PTSD and depression. Can Derek and Penelope help their daughter, or will they lose her? Morgan/Garcia HEA *This story contains themes of suicide and deep emotional pain. Please read with caution.
1. Moving On

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So, like when I was writing "Obsession" and "Come Back To Me" struck me, this one has struck me while in the middle of "Hate To Love You." I had to get it started because it was bugging me to know end, so here it is. Don't hate me for the nature of this story in the beginning. The inspiration for the nature of the relationship was a movie called "The Possession." Strictly the relationship portion…this story has nothing whatsoever to do with possession or exorcism. Essentially, think my two-shot "We're 10,000 Miles Apart" with a longer storyline.**

"Daddy, are you going to live in this apartment forever?"

Derek looked up from where he was cooking at the stove at his seven year old daughter, Soraya. She was sitting at the small table in the equally small apartment kitchen where he was living. Smiling at her, he shook his head and kept stirring the noodles he was boiling. "No, sweetie," he assured her. "You know that I'm looking for a house. We'll be able to move in as soon as we do."

Soraya shook her head. "No Daddy," she scolded. "I mean when are you coming home? Like, where Mom is?"

Sighing, Derek turned the burner off on the stove and went to kneel in front of his daughter, taking both of her hands. "Raya honey, you know that I'm not coming home. Your Mom and I are separated. We have been for six months. I'm not coming home." The words fell heavily from his mouth and he felt like he had a ton of bricks in his throat. He hated it, but it was his current reality.

"Dad," his sixteen year old daughter, Tala said coming into the kitchen, "we really want you to come home. I _hate_ Kyle. He sucks and he tells me that girls who wear black clothing don't get guys because it makes them look unappealing. I don't even wear black all that much, just sometimes!" She pulled out one of the chairs and slammed herself down into it. "I'm not lying. I hate him!"

A flash of anger ran through Derek and he rubbed his face. The man who told his daughter she wasn't getting a boyfriend because she wore black occasionally was definitely going to get a talking to. He couldn't believe Penelope was allowing her boyfriend of only a month to say things like that to their child. With a hard voice, he said, "I'll be talking to your mother about him. That's a promise." Pulling Soraya into a hug, he kissed her forehead. "Mac 'n' cheese is done," he said. "Can one of you go get Lindy?"

"Right here, Dad," thirteen year old Lindy called as she entered the kitchen, a copy of _The Kite Runner _in tow. There were tears swimming on the surface of her eyes.

Derek scrunched his brow with concern. "Lindy, baby, what's wrong?" he asked, about ready to go to her side.

Sniffling, she murmured, "It's just the book." She held the book up for him to see. "It's really sad."

Breathing with relief, he smirked at her and said, "Honey, maybe you should give that book a break. This is the second time in less than two days that it's made you cry."

Sitting down at the table, she put the book down gently and nodded. She wiped her eyes. "Okay," she whispered. "Can we eat?"

Derek smiled. "Of course sweetheart," he said.

When he brought the food over to the table, Soraya chirped, "Daddy, I think Mom misses you."

Tala rolled her eyes. She may have been nine years older than her little sister, but she found her consistent talk of how much their mother missed their father to be exhausting. "Soraya," she snapped. "Mom doesn't miss Dad. She kicked him out and shacked up with freakin' Kyle. This is her fault."

"Tala Jennifer Morgan!" Derek growled. "Stop it right now. You're upsetting your sister. Your mother and I agreed to this separation. If you want to blame someone, blame both of us."

Glaring at Derek with an expression that resembled a glare Penelope might give him, Tala shoved her plate that was still empty away from her and rose to her feet. "Yeah, just keep pretending that, Dad," she retorted, throwing her hands in the air. "She's a bitch and you know it!"

"Your mother isn't a bitch," he said weakly.

"Yes, she is!" Tala hollered. "She broke your heart and you're still so in love with her that you can't get mad at her! It's awful what she did to you! So no, she doesn't miss you. She's too selfish for that."

Soraya started to cry and Derek rubbed his forehead as Tala started to storm off. "Tala! Tala, get back here!" He got up to follow her, but stopped in the doorframe when he deemed it pointless. Tala was the only one of the three of his daughters who was pissed as hell at Penelope. She could barely contain her anger around her and since she got her driver's license she spent more time at Derek's apartment than she did at the home she'd grown up in.

Going back to the table, he rubbed his youngest child's shoulders and murmured, "Honey, it's okay. Tala is just angry. She didn't mean what she said."

"I really think Mom does miss you," she whispered tearfully. "Sometimes I hear her crying and –"

Derek tried to silence her. "Honey, your Mom doesn't miss me," he said softly. "I know you want her to, but she doesn't. So let's just eat dinner okay?"

Soraya just nodded mutely and started to pick at her food.

XXXXX

After his daughters were all in bed, Derek sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands. He'd knocked several times on Tala's door to try and get her to talk to him, but she'd locked it up and ignored him. In the end he'd just returned to his room to get ready to go to bed himself, his thoughts threatening to consume him.

Penelope had told him to leave their home six months ago and he couldn't say he wasn't mad at her. In fact, he was furious. She'd given up on him when he'd tried to fix their marriage. He'd cut down his hours at work and limited the amount of cases he would go on and on a night he thought would be a reconciling date, she'd told him he had to leave.

_I can't do this anymore, Derek. You put your work above me and the girls and I'm done with it._

So he'd done what she asked. And then he'd left her alone. He was too mad. He didn't try and call or reconcile. He just…stayed away. And kept his thoughts to himself. The truth about the whole situation was that he loved his wife. He loved her more than life itself, to put it in cliché terms. He wanted to move back home and wake up with her every morning and he was willing to do anything to prove his love.

Figuring out how to handle his daughters was the one thing that made him most stressed. Soraya was stuck in a world where she was sure her parents were positively getting back together and this was just a nightmare. Lindy was so quiet that she buried her head in a book and tried to ignore the situation. She tried to be the universal peacemaker and keep her sisters from falling apart. However well her efforts worked with her baby sister though, Tala was a whole other story. Tala was angry about the whole situation and positive that her mother was to blame for the separation. She locked herself in her room at Penelope's house and spent as much time with Derek as possible.

He had never felt more lost as a father.

Opening his night table drawer, he pulled out a photo he'd taken from home before he left. It was a picture he'd taken of Penelope when she was pregnant with Tala. He'd taken it from their house without her knowing. She was pissed at him when he tried to take a set of towels; he didn't particularly think she would take kindly to him taking a picture of her after she kicked him out. He traced the outline of her face and sighed. It would be better for him to get over Penelope. She was obviously moving on from him, entering into a relationship with a man she'd met at one of Tala's soccer games.

Maybe he should face the facts. Moving on was the only way to get past his love for Penelope.

The problem was he knew it wouldn't be possible to move on.

XXXXX

"Babe, when do the girls get home tomorrow?"

Penelope looked up from her computer at Kyle, the man she'd tentatively begun seeing a month ago. He was standing in the doorway to the room that used to be the office she'd once shared with Derek, his arms crossed over his chest. A slight smile played up on his face and she looked at him with a neutral face.

She blamed her less than gracious attitude on the name "Babe" sounding so strange on another man's lips.

"Er, they get back around noon," she said. "Why do you ask?"

He smiled wider. "Well, I was thinking we could, maybe, go to my house," he said, coming in and putting his hands on her shoulders, massaging them.

She stiffened under his touch. Kyle was always trying to get her to come over to his house whenever her children were with Derek. She knew exactly what he was trying to get her to do; he made it very clear he wanted to take their relationship up a step. That was not something she wasn't ready for. She had to come up with an excuse. "Oh, sorry," she said. "I'm seeing JJ tomorrow around then. So…" Her voice trailed off.

"Penelope, when are we going to do this?" he asked tiredly. "You know how I feel about you."

"Kyle," she said tiredly, pulling out of his grasp, "listen. We've been dating for a month. _One_ month. I'm not…ready for…" She could hardly say the word. "…sex. I mean, one month is just ridiculous." Although she couldn't really say her final sentence with much seriousness. Derek and she had fallen into bed a mere fifteen minutes after their first date. "Give me a little time."

Truth was, a little time for her would be ten years. Most likely more. No other man would be able to give her what Derek had given her.

Kyle sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I can do that," he said rather impatiently. "Derek must've taken a real toll on you to have you waiting so long."

Penelope didn't say anything. Her marriage to Derek had become exhausting. He spent more time at work than he did at home, he ignored her most of the time when he was, and he couldn't make it to events that involved their children. Lack of love wasn't a problem. Derek was the love of her life. It was his consistent lack of attention for Penelope and the girls that sent her over the edge. The endless cases, the long hours. She had grown tired of it and had ended it. Kyle was right that Derek had taken a toll on her; what he failed to see was she still loved her husband, no matter how sick of him she was.

"I still have some work to do," she said, gesturing at her computer. "I think you should go now."

Sighing heavily, Kyle kissed her quickly and murmured, "I'll call you."

Penelope was relieved when she was left in the silence of the office. She liked having time to think. When Derek had the girls, the house was huge and lonely and the only thing she could do was think about what had happened with her life. Her oldest daughter hated her guts, her younger daughters were suffering in silence, and Derek was out of her life in both their marriage and friendship. For the first few months when the girls were gone with their father, she cried the entire time they were gone. But she told herself she needed to move on. She quit crying, she packed up all her pictures and direct memories of Derek, and she found a man to date.

The only problem was she felt like crying all the time, she constantly pulled out the pictures to look at, and she thought about Derek when she was with Kyle.

Equally as distressing as her decision to leave Derek was her relationship with Tala. She knew her eldest daughter blamed her for their family splitting apart at the seams. Any moment she could get away, she went and spent the time with her father. When the team was out of town on a case she locked herself in her room and refused to say anything that wasn't hostile. And when the subject of Kyle arose, she became downright miserable to be around.

"_I cannot believe you would date that jackass," Tala snarled. "He's awful and he treats you like an object." Penelope opened her mouth to try and refute her statement, but her daughter thundered on. "You broke Dad's heart and he's done nothing but love you! Well, I've got news for you, Mom…you don't deserve him!"_

_Anger rising in her, Penelope snapped, "Tala, that's enough! Your father and I fell apart. Kyle has nothing to do with that. And he does not treat me like an object."_

_With venom in her eyes, Tala allowed her voice to raise several decibels. "I don't want anything to do with you anymore, Mom," she growled, stalking off. "I hate you." She'd thrown the last statement over her shoulder and slammed the door to her room shut._

That conversation did still bring tears to her eyes.

The fact of the matter was she was on the verge of the tears at all times. Six months ago she had ended her marriage, telling her husband he needed to leave. And even though she still loved Derek more than any man in the entire world and probably would never stop loving him, she had to move on from him.

She couldn't take her daughters and her coming in second to his career. She couldn't take the loneliness she felt anymore. So she did the one thing she could think of: she left to begin the process of moving on.

**I know, mean of me.**


	2. Part Of A Family

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**I'm glad you guys like this one! It's pretty unhappy, much like the movie that inspired it's nature. However, like the movie, it ends with a rekindling of love. I figure I'd just spoil that little fact because, well, it ends the same as my other stories :) There's really nothing to spoil there. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and I hope you like this chapter!**

"You have to go to your mother's house, Tala," Derek said tiredly as he stood in his daughter's doorway. They were getting ready to exit the apartment so he could take them back to Penelope's house. "You know she has you during the week."

Tala hadn't even begun to get her backpack together and was sulking at her computer, messaging with Emily, who had just left Quantico to return to London. "Don't care," she said, not bothering to look up from her computer screen. "Not going."

"Tala, get up," Derek said sternly. "You are going to your mother's house. She told me the team caught a case, so we're going out of town anyway."

Huffing, she got up from her sitting position and growled, "Fine. Give me five minutes."

"Good," he said, moving away from the door and heading back down the hall to check on how Soraya and Lindy were faring. "Hey you two," he said, entering the room the two younger children shared. "You guys ready to go?"

"Ready Daddy!" Soraya said with a grin. She stood up and grabbed her purple backpack. "I can't wait to see Mom. I missed her."

Leaning down to kiss his daughter's forehead, he said, "I know you did." Turning to Lindy, he asked, "You all done with that book, sweetie?" He pointed to her copy of _The Kite Runner_.

She nodded. "Finished it last night," she said quietly.

"You going to be okay?" he asked. "It was making you really upset."

Lindy didn't say anything to that. Derek sighed and led them out of the room towards the kitchen. Tala had emerged from her room, an angry expression on her face and her arms crossed over her chest. She looked just like Penelope when she was angry.

"You girls ready to go?" he asked, grabbing his keys from the kitchen counter. He smiled at his daughters.

"No," Tala snarled.

"Yes!" Soraya said excitedly at the same time.

"Let's get going then," he said, ignoring his eldest's lack of enthusiasm.

XXXXX

Derek turned his car off as he pulled into the driveway of his old house. He felt a feeling of instantaneous rage flash through him when he saw a car he didn't recognize parked there. Tala's scowl confirmed that it was Kyle's car. "God, I hate that tool," she muttered.

"Let's get you three inside," he said, ignoring Tala's comment, but secretly praising her for it in his mind.

Soraya and Lindy got out of the car, both of them excited to see their mother. Tala just stomped out and slammed the door, walking up the steps to the house and shoving her way into the house. Derek followed in behind them and shut the door more gently for fear that Tala might slam it.

From the living room he could hear the sounds of laughter and Penelope's signature giggle. He turned his head and found Penelope and Kyle sitting on the couch. His wife's head was thrown back as she laughed, a glass of wine in her hand. Kyle's hand was resting on Penelope's thigh. Derek had to clench and unclench his fists to keep from saying anything or changing his body language. He'd just have to keep his anger under wraps. No matter how badly he wanted to pummel the man with his hands on his wife, he couldn't.

Not when she was clearly happy with the bastard.

When Penelope's eyes met Derek's, her laughter stopped abruptly and she took a long swallow of her wine. "Er, hello Derek," she said stiffly. She stood up from her seat and set the wine glass on the table, smoothing her skirt in the process.

"Mom!"

Soraya came running into the living room after having put her backpack down and threw her arms around Penelope's waist. Penelope smiled and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Hey sweetie," she said, keeping her arms around her daughter for a moment. "You have an okay time at Daddy's?"

The little girl nodded and grinned. "Yep," she said. "We went to the zoo and I got to feed a giraffe."

"Cool," she said.

"Maybe we should go to the zoo sometime," Kyle piped up and suggested. "I'd like to feed some giraffes with you, Soraya."

Derek shifted uncomfortably with anger and clenched his jaw. He noticed Penelope was avoiding his gaze. And just when he thought things couldn't get any more uncomfortable, Tala entered the room. Her face was scrunched in a glare and she directed it towards her mother and Kyle.

Penelope smiled hesitantly at her daughter. "Hey Tala," she said with a smile.

Tala shot her a glare and went over to Derek to give him a hug before he left. "I'm going out with Jenny tonight, so I'm going to say goodbye now" she murmured, hugging him tightly. "I love you, Dad."

Hugging her tightly back, he kissed the side of her head and whispered in her ear, "Love you too, Baby," he murmured. "Have fun."

"Be back by eleven please," Penelope said. "You've got school tomorrow."

Scoffing, Tala said, "Whatever, Mom."

"Young lady, don't talk to your mother that way," Kyle snapped, also rising from the couch.

"Fuck off, Kyle," Tala grumbled.

"Tala!" Penelope cried, appalled.

"And don't use that kind of language or I'll -"

She laughed sarcastically. "Or you'll what?" she snapped.

"I'll make sure to take that smart smirk off your mouth."

Now Derek couldn't keep silent. Getting closer to Kyle, he straightened to his full height and growled, "You ever touch my daughter and I'll make sure you can't get up off the ground. I don't care if you're fucking my wife or not, but you don't ever touch my children!"

"She's going to have to get used to me disciplining her because I'm going to be here for a good long while," Kyle said hardly. "So I have the right to -"

"The _right_!" Derek thundered. "You don't have the right to do anything!"

"Enough!" Penelope shouted, stepping between them. Grabbing Derek's arm harshly, she hissed, "Come with me!" She dragged him into the kitchen and glared at him. "You need to leave now, Derek."

He looked at her incredulously. "Excuse me?" he growled. "You're telling me _I_ need to leave? That bastard just threatened to harm Tala and you're letting him! I have every right to yell at him."

"You think I don't care that Kyle just said that to Tala?" she snapped, putting her hands on her hips. "If he dared lay a hand on her I would have his ass in jail before he could even contemplate what he'd done. I _will_ be having a conversation with him, but right now you're scaring Soraya." Crossing her arms over her chest, she added, "And for your information I'm not sleeping with Kyle. That was completely uncalled for. You had no right to say that."

He glared at her and rubbed the top of his head. "Just make sure you keep that asshole in line," he said. "He lays a finger on Tala, Lindy, or Raya and I'll kill him."

She looked like she was going to say more, but then she sighed. "Leave Derek," she said. "Please."

The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, neither of them blinking. It was as if they were trying to find the answer to all their problems. Penelope looked into his brown eyes and tried to find something, anything to tell her how he was feeling at the moment. What he was thinking. But she saw nothing. He was just staring at her blankly. As she stared at him, her eyes flicked to his left hand. It was so strange to see him without the ring that had once bound them together in marriage. She didn't now why she was so bothered by this though. The day after he'd left she'd taken the ring he'd given her when he'd asked her to marry him and stuck it in her dresser drawer. For at least two months after they'd separated Derek had continued to wear his. It still felt strange to her.

She was a hypocrite. She'd wanted this. She shouldn't care.

And apparently he didn't either.

With his mouth in a hard line, Derek grumbled, "Keep that bastard from hurting our daughters or I will." And then he stormed out of the house, kissing his daughters on the head before leaving.

XXXXX

"Kyle, I need to talk to you," Penelope said harshly as she walked back into the living room. Soraya and Tala had left the room and Kyle was pouring himself more wine.

"What's up, Babe?" he asked, leaning back against the couch cushions.

She didn't waste any time tearing into him. "Don't you ever say that you're going to lay a hand on my daughter," she said. "Because if you do there won't be a place on this earth you can hide from me."

Kyle laughed. "Babe, I wasn't being serious," he said. "She was being disrespectful to you so I thought I'd give her a little talking to."

"You let Derek and me handle that," she ordered. "We've only been dating a month, Kyle. You don't have the ability to tell her that."

Raising his hands in surrender, he said, "Okay. I'll ease up. I just don't like the way she talks to you. You're her mother, not a petty teenage friend of hers. She's acting like a bitch, that's all that can be said."

Angrily, Penelope pointed towards the door. "You don't get to say that about my daughter," she said. "Get going right now. I need you to leave now. We'll talk more about this later. Right now I can't even look at you." She watched a smirk grow on his face and shook her head. "I'm not even kidding right now. Get out of my house."

Seeing that she really wasn't kidding, Kyle blew out a sigh and went towards her to kiss her cheek. She turned her face away. "I'll call you."

As soon as he was out of the house, Penelope sat down and rubbed her forehead. She was just going to have to dump Kyle. He disrespected her and the moment he'd mentioned harming Tala as a way of teaching a lesson, that was the final straw. The next time she saw him he'd be getting kicked to the curb.

Finishing off her wine, she tiredly made her way to the kitchen to put the glass in the sink. She still had a few hours before Tala would be home. Returning to the living room, she found Soraya now on the couch watching TV and Lindy in one of the armchairs with another book. "Hey girls," she murmured.

"Hey Mom," Lindy said in her soft voice. She looked up and smiled softly.

Penelope sat down on the couch next to her youngest daughter and kissed the top of her head. "You okay, Raya?" she asked. She was slightly worried that the exchange between Derek and Kyle had scared her.

"Just watchin' _Phineas and Ferb_," she said nonchalantly. "You know Mom, I kind of wish _we_ had a pet platypus. You said we could get another dog after Clooney died, but we never did."

Lindy snorted. "I highly doubt a platypus is what Mom and Dad want," she muttered, flipping a page in her book.

Penelope heard the way Lindy added both her parents in the mix and sighed. Apparently her seven year old wasn't the only one who wanted her parents to reunite. An idea sparked in her head and she said, "You know, I don't think we could do a platypus, but what do you say we go and get another dog?"

"Daddy should come too," Soraya said, turning to look at Penelope after a commercial break had started.

"Honey, Daddy has to work this week," she said tiredly. "And he wouldn't be seeing the dog. The dog would live here with us."

Lindy didn't even look up when she said, "I'm not going unless Dad does."

Penelope rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Girls, we'll talk about this later, okay?" she said. She wasn't in the mood to discuss Derek with Lindy and Soraya. She was still fuming form the comment he'd made about her sleeping with Kyle. To her it was proof of how little they knew each other anymore. Marriage had killed their connection, just like it had their friendship.

"I still think we get a platypus still," Soraya grumbled.

XXXXX

It was two in the morning when Penelope quit pacing. The front door to the house had opened to reveal Tala and she immediately ran to the atrium to find her.

"Where the hell have you been?" she said angrily. "You were supposed to be back by eleven. It's now almost quarter to two!"

Tala met her mother's gaze equally as if to challenge her, but took off her coat and threw it on a hook by the door, not responding. She walked right by her to go to the kitchen and Penelope followed after her.

"Tala, I'm talking to you!"

Tala smirked. "Yeah," she muttered, going into the fridge to grab a bottle of water. "So I noticed."

Penelope was furious. "Tala, I understand you're upset, but I'm still your mother," she said, trying to keep her anger in check. "You -"

"Some mother you are," she snapped. "You let your boyfriend say he was going to smack my mouth off." She tilted her water to her lips and took a short swig before returning her icy gaze to Penelope. Smiling sarcastically, she added, "I'd give you 'Mother Of The Year' for that one."

"Kyle has been taken care of and will not be coming back here," Penelope said in frustration. Her expression softened some. "I'm so sorry you had to hear that, baby. But I'm promising you, no one I date is ever going to lay a finger on you."

"Fine. Whatever."

Penelope sighed. "Tala, you can't keep treating me like this," she said quietly, but firmly. "Please. I just want us to go back to the way we used to be. Don't you remember? You actually used to like me."

Staring daggers at Penelope, Tala spat, "You know what, Mom? Yeah, I do remember how it used to be. And I didn't like you...I _loved_ you! But after what you did to Dad, I can't say anything other than I'm ashamed to be your daughter." Penelope felt her gut drop and her heart shatter. "You hurt the one man who loves you more than anyone in the world! You left him without even trying to talk to him. So for your information, I just want you to leave me the hell alone. I don't want anything to do with you anymore."

Without another word, Tala stormed off to the stairwell, leaving Penelope in the kitchen, stunned. Tears filled her eyes and she felt them trickle down her cheeks. Wiping her eyes, she looked towards Tala's phone she'd left on the counter and pressed the screen on. The picture on the phone was one of Derek, Tala, Lindy, and Soraya. It was taken only a week ago, likely while the girls were with their father.

And as Penelope looked at the happy faces on her family's face, she couldn't help but feel like she was no longer a part of it.

**Sorry this one was so long...**


	3. The Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Thanks for the feedback so far everyone! Sorry it's so angsty. I hope you continue to like it :) This one is another long one, but I didn't know where to stop it. Sorry about that!**

"We need to talk," Penelope said, stopping inside Derek's office. The team was due to start a meeting in half an hour and she wanted to put the conversation she was about to have off until the last second. The extra half hour was because she was confident it would last for at least that long. She strolled right in and closed the door behind her. Going up to the front of his desk, she sat down in one of the chairs.

Derek looked up at her while he was scribbling his signature on a sheet of paper. "What can I do for you, Penelope?" he asked, returning his eyes to his work. "Care to bitch at me some more?"

"No," she said softly. "I'm not here to do that. And for your information I don't bitch all that much at you." She tried giving him a small smile and was pleasantly surprised when he returned it. They held each other's stares for a long moment before she realized she wasn't there to look at the gorgeous man she'd married. Coughing, she stuttered, "Er, what I wanted to talk to you about was Tala."

Derek's face lost its smile and he sighed. "I don't know what we should do about her," he murmured tiredly. "She's been full of attitude lately."

Penelope raised a brow at him. "Derek, she's been more than just full of attitude," she said. "She told me she's ashamed to be my daughter and that she wants nothing to do with me." Tears filled her eyes and she was appalled when a few trickled down her cheeks. She wiped them away hurriedly, not wanting Derek to see them. "I just don't know what to do about her right now and it's making me crazy."

"What do you want me to do about it?" he asked. "She's mad at us."

"No Derek," she said, correcting him. "She's mad at _me_. Just me. She's told me the same thing over and over. That I broke your heart. That she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," he murmured. "She's mad. And the two of you are practically the same person. When you share similar personalities with someone, you're bound to butt heads."

Penelope leaned forward and put her elbows on his desk. "You really think so?" she asked.

He looked at her with his deep brown eyes that she used to be able to spend hours in. Something stirred in her and she swore she saw the warmth and compassion she'd once seen before work and cases had got in the way. She could see the glow of his love for her and their children. For a moment she choked on her words, too overcome with the emotion of seeing the look in his eyes. But he blinked and then the glint was gone. She sighed internally. She was just seeing what she wanted to see, not what was really there. The way she was sitting, leaning forward in her chair, it reminded her of when they were still in love.

Or at least, when he was still in love with her. She was still in love with _him_. Time had gotten in the way of his love for her.

"I know so," he finally said. "Anyway, you wanted a battle plan or something?"

She sat back in her chair, leaning away from him, and said, "When this case is over, I just need you to come over and the three of us can have a chat."

He nodded. Suddenly his face turned more serious and he said hardly, "So listen, I also wanted to know if that bastard you've been..." He paused. "I wanted to know if he's going be out of the picture? I swear I'll take some action if I have to. No one threatens to touch my children."

The moment that Penelope thought had been tender was now shattered. Her heart felt sore and she murmured, "He's out of the picture. Or he will be as soon as I have the conversation with him. Today at lunch, in fact."

"Good," he said, returning his face to his work.

"You honestly think I don't care that Kyle said that to Tala?" she muttered. "Do you?"

His gaze returned to hers and he arched one of his brows. "Excuse me?"

She glared at him. "You keep acting like I support what Kyle said," she hissed. "Like I was okay with him telling our daughter those things. How can you think that? _How_?"

"You're being ridiculous," he snapped. "I never said that."

"But you're thinking it, Derek," she said. "I can tell you're thinking it. It's written all over your face."

He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists. "I don't think you have any right to tell me what's 'written all over my face,' as you say," he said through gritted teeth. "You don't get to say anything about how I'm reacting to anything."

Ignoring him, she continued on her rant. "And for the last fucking time I'm not sleeping with him! I heard you pause right before you said it and I'm not going to repeat myself again: I am not sleeping with anyone! At all! Stop saying that I am!"

"Do I look like I care if you sleep with anyone?" he thundered.

"Please, Derek," she laughed bitterly. "Don't try and tell me _you_ haven't been sleeping with anyone."

His face was black with rage. "How dare you," he growled. "Get out of my office. I have no interest in speaking with you any more. I'll talk to you when we get back from the case, but until then I don't want to hear a word from you." When she didn't get up immediately, he pointed his finger at the door and hissed, "I said get out!"

Penelope rose from her seat and glared at him, storming out and slamming the door on her way.

XXXXX

"Hey Babe," Kyle said with a swagger as he sauntered towards Penelope in the coffee shop where she was planning on doing the actual break up. He leaned down to kiss her cheek. "You said you had an important thing you wanted to talk to me about." He sat down across from her at the small cafe table and grinned. "What's going on?"

Penelope folded her arms across her chest and met his eyes evenly. "Hey Kyle," she said softly. Smiling grimly, she said, "We've got to talk."

"Okay," he said. "Let's talk."

The conversation from the morning with Derek was still burning in her mind. Penelope had never felt more angry in her life. She couldn't believe he would insinuate that she was sleeping with Kyle. Again. The thought of Derek thinking that she was fucking Kyle made her sick to her stomach. She had to do everything she could to fix it.

"Kyle, you're..." Her voice trailed off. She didn't think she could really call him a great guy, seeing as he'd insulted her daughter and threatened to hit her. "This really isn't going to work out. This thing between us, I mean." She watched as his face fell. "I'm very sorry. I just - I just don't think -"

He held up his hands and waved them around. "Wait, wait! You're breaking up with me? Why?"

She arched a brow at him. "Seriously?" she asked. "You can't figure that out?" He looked at her in confusion and she shook her head. "Kyle, you threatened to hit my daughter. You called her a bitch. I'm sorry, but I just don't want her around that. So, I'm sorry, but you're not welcome at my house anymore. Nor are you welcome in my life."

Kyle was silent for a moment before he burst out laughing. "I told you I was joking when I said that," he said, shaking his head. "You really didn't believe me?"

"You sure didn't seem like you were joking," she said hardly. Glaring, she added, "I don't want my children around people like -"

"What? Like me?" he snickered. "Serious? What about Derek? Is _he_ the type of person you want your children around? He looked like he was ready to have a smack down in your living room over me being with you and your six year old was there."

Similar to how Derek had earlier when they were having their conversation, Penelope's fists clenched. "Derek is the _father_ of my children, you idiot!" she snapped. "And Derek is the most wonderful father there is! You have no right to insult him. He is ten times the man you are and the reason he was ready to have a 'smack down' is because you threatened to hit our daughter." She paused with a frosty stare before adding, "And Soraya is seven, not six."

Rising from his seat, he pointed at her and said, "You know what? If you're going to defend his honor until the end then why don't you get back together with him?"

Feeling her cheeks turn bright red, Penelope looked away and averted her gaze completely. She couldn't acknowledge the truth in his words. She really should still be with Derek. But the reality that she had to keep reminding herself of was Derek had grown tired of her and of being married.

"Leave me alone, Kyle," she muttered as he continued to look at her. "Just go."

"With pleasure," he snapped, heading back out the coffee shop abruptly, leaving Penelope with a sour taste in her mouth and wondering why she had just defended the man who she had left when she was still so angry at him.

XXXXX

_Two Days Later_

Derek knocked and opened the door to Penelope's house - the house he used to live in - around ten in the evening. The team had just returned after two grueling days in Mississippi and he hadn't heard a word from Penelope...just the way he'd asked. Now that he was back, he was coming over for the conversation that the two of them were supposed to have with Tala.

In some ways that was more scary than facing down an unsub.

"Girls! I'm home!" He didn't realize the words had left his mouth and he had called the house "home." Penelope was going to kill him for that.

Soraya appeared at the top of the stairs, toothbrush in her mouth and pigtails in her hair. "Daddy!" she cried through her foamy mouth. Holding up her finger to signal she needed one minute, she rushed out of sight and towards the bathroom. He heard the sound of water turning on and thirty seconds later his daughter was running down the steps towards him. She jumped off the bottom stair and into his arms, grinning.

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Hey sweetie," he murmured. "Everything been okay?"

She nodded. "Yep." Lowering her voice though, she added, "Although Mom was crying again last night. Tala came home and was yelling at her the entire time."

Derek sighed. "Where's your mom and Lindy right now?"

"Lindy's at a friend's house right now," she reported. "Mom's in the kitchen."

Leaning down, Derek kissed Soraya's forehead and murmured, "Alright, thank you m'lady. It's time for you to get up to bed though. Sleep tight, alright." His daughter nodded and hugged him around the waist before bounding up the stairs and disappearing from view again. Heading down the hall, Derek ended up in the kitchen and found Penelope standing at the sink, a glass of wine in her hand. She hadn't heard him come in and she took a long few gulps. Raising his eyebrows, he laughed. "Whoa there. That's a little much isn't it?"

She whirled around and glared at him. "Fuck off, Derek," she muttered. "You're here until we're done talking with Tala and then you're gone! I'm serious. I don't want you here."

Taken back at the sharpness of her voice, Derek held up his hands in surrender and muttered, "Whatever you want."

They waited another half hour in a tense silence until Tala finally came slamming in the house. Derek rose from his seat and Penelope's head snapped up. Tala emerged into the kitchen and almost immediately Penelope and Derek saw it; their daughter was stark-raving, stumbling drunk. Her bloodshot, glazed over eyes met his and she glared at them.

"Tala!" Penelope gasped.

Tala cackled. "Mom!" She giggled at the sound of her own voice. "Oh, and look! Dad's home! Did the bitch call you over to complain about me?"

Derek's face was hard when he spoke. "Young lady, you had better sit down right now," he said. "You are completely out of line. This is unacceptable."

Making a face, Tala unsteadily leaned against the kitchen counter. "I'd rather stand," she yawned.

Rubbing her eyes so neither her husband or daughter could see her tears, Penelope looked at Tala and said, "Tala, baby, this can't go on any more! Just - just..."

"Just what, Mom?" she snapped, the giggly side of her drunkenness gone in a second. "You want me to just sit back and relax as my family falls apart?"

"Tala, stop..." Derek tried to say.

"No, Dad!" she cried. "I'm not going to stop! This is ridiculous! I'm not going to be the only one around here who's not lying to themselves anymore. You both need to see it too! My sisters live in a world where they think the two of you are getting back together any day now! I'm sick of them having all this false hope!" She wasn't leaning against anything now. She was standing adversarially to them both. Now that she had both her parents silent, she kept going. "I'm sick of all of this. I'm sick of that stupid apartment, I'm sick of going between places, I'm sick of all of it!" Her voice had risen to a scream.

Penelope rubbed the tears that were trickling down her cheeks before saying, "Tala -"

"No, don't _Tala_ me!" she screeched. "Did you know, Mom, that Dad here is still head over heels in love with you? Why do you think he hasn't moved out of that apartment in the whole six months you two have been separated? He stupidly thinks you will let him come home! That you'll love him again." She whirled to face her father. "Tell her Dad! Tell her how you keep her picture in your bedside drawer at said apartment! Tell her how you still have our family photo as your background on your computer, or how she's still 'Baby Girl' on your caller ID! Better yet, tell her this!"

She strode over to her father and for a moment he thought she was going to hit him. But instead of slapping him, Tala grabbed the thin leather cord that was mostly covered by his shirt and pulled the necklace out from under it, yanking it off his neck and throwing it down in front of Penelope on the counter. Tala gestured to it and yelled at her father, "Why don't you tell her this: how you still wear the damn wedding ring around your neck!"

Silence covered the kitchen and Penelope had tears running down her cheeks now and Derek was stony-faced staring at the ground.

When neither of them spoke, Tala did again. "You're a coward, Dad, and Mom, you're heartless. Dad loves you and you kicked him out because you fell out of love with him! Not the other way around!" Penelope shocked face kept her going. "Yeah, I heard you talking to Aunt JJ on the phone! I know exactly what you said and I know it's complete crap! You're the problem here, not Dad! You -"

"_Stop_!"

Derek thundering voice silenced his daughter. His gaze had turned up from the floor and he had a frightening expression on his face. Tala stared back at him evenly, but didn't speak. "You're going to go upstairs and spend the rest of the night up there. We'll continue this conversation in the morning when you've sobered up." When she didn't move, he raised his voice. "Go!"

Tala glared at both of them and turned on her heel, storming out of the room, running into the table in the hallway leading to the stairs in the process.


	4. Fixing It

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So I had a request for this one to be updated soon after, so I'm doing it before the next "Hate To Love You." That one will be written after this one is all finished up. Also, I'm glad you guys like Tala so much :) She's one of my favorite Morgan and Garcia daughters I've written, next to Gigi from "Come Back To Me." So, thank you much for the reviews and here's the next installment!**

**This chapter is rated M.**

Penelope and Derek stood in the kitchen in complete silence after Tala had stumbled out of the room. After they'd gotten over the shock, Derek went forward to the counter and snatched the ring back and stuck it in his pocket. He couldn't meet Penelope's eyes. When he finally did look up at her, her head was buried in her hands and she was sobbing quietly. Sighing, he rubbed his face and tried to go to her.

Looking up from her hands, she held them up and glared at him. "Don't come any closer to me," she hissed. "This is all your fault!"

He stared at her incredulously. "_My_ fault?" he asked. "How the hell is this my fault?"

"You decided work was more important to you than family!" Her voice had risen some. "Yeah, you had tons of sex with me, but that was all. You ignored me and you missed so much of our daughters' lives because you were out of town so much! You left our marriage long before I kicked you out!"

"Do you realize how insane you sound?" he demanded. "You honestly think I wanted to leave? I was ready to give up a ridiculous amount of work to be back with you and the girls! I only returned to it because you kicked me out!"

Glaring even more viciously at him, she shoved his chest. "Because of your over dedication to the BAU and the fact that you lost interest in me our family fell apart!" she cried. Tears were still streaming down her face as she spoke. "Tala's right: Lindy and Soraya are stuck in a land of denial. And let's not forget this little scene that just happened. Our daughter has turned to alcohol to deal with this."

"That's not the only thing Tala was right about! Did you not hear her? The picture in my drawer, the fucking ring being around my neck! Are you dumb, deaf, and blind?"

Her fists clenched at her side. "I don't care!" she hollered. "You are the reason this family fell apart!"

"No, Penelope, you are!" he thundered. "You kicked me out! You're refusing to see what's right in front of you!"

"Maybe I was wrong about your feelings," she admitted, "but that doesn't change your lack of presence in our lives. You disappeared! And I started to resent you for it!"

"This is selfish of you!" he said. "You kicked me out because _you_ couldn't stand me and ignored the thought it might tear our daughters' lives apart!"

"They needed someone who was there for them!"

"No! They needed their family! They _still_ need their family!"

The stared at each other in silence, both of them glaring at the other with more ferocity than they'd ever shown towards each in all their years of friendship and marriage. "You're insane," he finally said. "I never took you for this kind of person."

"You never took me for desperate," she growled. "Now I want you to leave and never enter this house again. You can pick the girls up and drop them off, but you don't enter the house. Ever."

Instead of leaving though, he stalked closer to her until her back was against the counter and his breath was hot on her face. Her own breathing had sped up and her chest was rising and falling too fast. "You are not going to keep me from here," he said in a low voice. "I'm not going to give up because I believe we can work this out...even if you don't."

Penelope's heart was beating faster than it every had in her life. She couldn't see anything but Derek and his body. There was heat radiating off of him and she began to feel like she was on fire. Lust filled her heart. She had missed the feel of his skin against hers and the warmth of his love. She hated that she loved him so much and her anger at both him and at herself had reached boiling point. Not saying anything, her hands shot up and she grabbed his face roughly, pulling him into a ferocious kiss. Her body was on fire and she shoved her tongue into his mouth, savoring the taste of him. As he kissed her back, their teeth scraped together and his hands grasped her waist in his hands, keeping them firmly there and holding her body closer to him.

Pulling back, she hissed, "Fuck me, Derek. I want you to fuck me."

With nothing but a growl, Derek pushed her against the wall and wrapped his arms around her enveloping her with his body. As he kissed her, both his hands slid up her thighs and pushed the skirt of her tight cotton skirt up so it was around her waist. His fingers trailed up the drenched front of her lacy panties and her breathing increased tenfold. Her eyes closed and her skin felt like it was on fire. Derek's mouth began to leave hot, wet kisses down her throat and her blood started to heat up. Her body started to shake with all the desire rolling through her. She couldn't stop the soft moan that came out of her mouth. With trembling hands, she reached for Derek's belt and unbuckled it, then moving towards his zipper to unzip it. As soon as she did, the length of his erection burst out and she grasped it tightly.

"You know what to do," she hissed.

"Oh, yes I do, Baby Girl," he said huskily. Instantly he hooked two of his fingers through the side of her underwear and tore them off swiftly. "The real question is: do _you_ remember what to do?"

She glared at him, digging her pink-painted fingernails into his shoulders until his skin broke and blood trickled down his arms. "That's one of the stupidest questions you've ever asked," she growled, hooking one of her legs around his hips.

He smirked and grabbed her other leg so that she was up against the wall. Thrusting into her roughly, he covered the deep scream of pleasure that she let out. The feeling of being filled so completely after months of loneliness was one that she couldn't describe. It was perfection. Her back slid up and down the wall and he kissed her deeply.

Derek hadn't felt much in the past six months, but now a torrent of feeling had assaulted him and it was impossible for him not to feel anything. Burying his face against her neck, he murmured, "I love you, Penelope."

His wife didn't say a word. She just let him continue thrusting. When her already tight heat clenched around him, he followed in climaxing, coming harder than he ever had in his life. For a moment, the two of them stayed where they were, intimately connected and panting hard. Unsteadily and reluctantly Derek set her down on her feet. He kept his hands on her hips, only letting her go to rezip his pants and rebuckle his pants. After a moment of silence, he finally met her eyes.

But instead of seeing love and a desire to reconcile, all he found was hatred. She hastily pulled her skirt down and pushed him in the chest to get him away from her. His eyes went wide and he sputtered, "Penelope...what is wrong?"

"_You_ are what's wrong!" she snarled.

"How can you say this?" he said. He'd never felt more hurt in his life. "Penelope, how you can say that? We -"

She shook her head. "You need to leave!" she said. "Now!"

"Penelope..."

"What happened now was a mistake," she said. "It can never happen again. I'm not going to fall for this again and break my own heart. Because this is how it would go: you would cut down on your hours until Hotch needed you again, then you would resume all work just as you did before. And then I would be left in the dust, along with our daughters."

His face was hurt and it was clear she had just wounded him severely. "Is that what you really think of me?" he asked quietly.

She turned her head away from him and said, "I love you, Derek. But I can't be married to you. Not anymore. Not ever again. So I need you to go now." When he didn't move, she turned to look at him with a ferocity he'd never seen in his life. Her voice rose to a scream. "Go!"

Without another word, he left the kitchen. She half expected to hear the door slam shut, but instead he just shut it firmly. Leaning up against the wall, she slid down onto the floor and wept into her knees, drowning in the fact that she'd just emitted the worst cruelty she ever could have imagined.

XXXXX

JJ knocked on Penelope's office door and entered even though she didn't hear a "Come in!" from her. "Hey Garcie!" she said as she entered the lair. "I was wondering if you could -" She stopped abruptly when she saw that Penelope was weeping into her hands. Immediately she went to her friend's side, putting her papers don on the desk. "Penelope! What's wrong?" She sat down in a spare chair and took both Penelope's hands in hers. "What happened?"

Still sobbing, she sniffled, "Everything is wrong, Jayje. I don't -I just don't know who I am anymore! I'm a terrible person and I just don't know where it came from! I treated the man I love like dirt and made him feel like I don't care about him. My daughter hates me and she has every right to. Tala's right...I screwed up this family. All Derek did was lose his way and I blew it up in his face."

"Penelope, come here," JJ murmured, opening her arms up and pulling her best friend into them. "Tala loves you no matter what has gone wrong with you and Derek. And you know what else? Derek loves you too. You two may have drifted apart, but you will always be the most important person in his life, next to your daughters."

"I don't deserve any of them!" She cried against JJ's chest. "I can never forgive myself for what I did and I don't think Derek and Tala will either. I ruined our family. I _ruined_ us! Soraya and Lindy may not understand it all now, but when they do they'll realize that it was my fault. They'll hate me too."

Pulling Penelope's chin up, she scolded her, "Your daughters will never hate you. And when Tala gets over her anger, she will realize she doesn't hate you either. And anything that happened between you and Derek will be forgiven too."

"We had angry sex last night and then I told him he needed to leave and it was a mistake and it should never have happened," she said bluntly. "He'll never forgive me for it. Ever."

JJ looked at Penelope sadly. "Don't you understand? He will always love you. _Always_." She paused. "And no matter what happened last night, it's not the worst thing that has ever happened in a marriage. What you really need to do is talk to him. Really talk to him. It's the most important thing to do. And I saw what he did just before he left, he had dropped his hours down and told Hotch he was limiting the amount of cases he was going on. It was drastic. It made Strauss furious. But he refused and essentially, in the most respectful way possible, told her to go to hell."

Tears filled Penelope eyes again and poured down her cheeks. "I messed up big time," she whispered. "I destroyed our family."

"And you'll fix it," she murmured. "You and Derek will fix it."

XXXXX

"I want the girl," the young man in his early twenties bellowed.

His brother rolled his eyes. "Why that one?" he asked. "She's -"

"She's got spunk! She's beautiful, she's smart, she's everything I want!"

"She's a handful and she'll scream the entire time," his brother explained. "It's pointless. No fun."

He snickered. "Oh, I disagree, brother," he laughed. "She'll be _just_ what I want. She's the perfect candidate. I'll have loads of fun with her." His face turned to a vicious glare. "I want her. And I want her soon."

Rubbing his forehead, his brother sighed. "Let me see what I can do," he said grudgingly.


	5. Tala's Shield

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Sorry this one is so sad :( I've got Penelope and Derek as the couple who blames the other for everything that goes wrong and can't take responsibility for their own actions. It's kind of the direction this story took itself in, so bear with me. In addition, my deep love for JJ comes out in this story as I have her playing a fairly universal peacekeeper. Thanks for the reviews, lovely people! You rock :)**

Derek was sitting in his office, his elbows resting against his desk and his forehead balanced against the palms of his hands. It had been three days since he'd last spoken to Penelope. Three days since they'd had sex against the kitchen wall. It had also been three days since he'd picked up a razor, so his face was covered in a thin layer of stubble that was going to become more than just a thin layer if he wasn't careful.

He'd done as she'd told him and picked the girls up and dropped them off at the house, but he hadn't even gone up the walk to knock on the door. The problems with Tala had increased tenfold as well and before he'd picked the girls up he'd made sure to lock his liquor cabinet at the apartment up, wondering if she'd nicked some from there ever. His daughter was struggling more than she'd let on. It had become apparent to him that the anger she'd been displaying was just a shield.

The most recent episode before he'd dropped them back off at Penelope's had made it perfectly clear.

_The smell of something burning alerted Derek to something going on and he jumped up from his seat on the couch to rush in the direction the scent was coming from. Bursting into the bathroom, he found Tala standing over the sink with a box of matches at her side. In the sink was a pile of ashes and a photograph that was half way to destruction._

_The photos were family photos of the five of them before the separation had happened. Next to the box of matches was a whole pile of photos, some of them of Tala and Penelope, some of Derek and Penelope, some of Derek and Tala._

"_Tala! What in God's name are you doing?" he said, turning on the sink to stop the fire._

_Still not looking up at him, Tala muttered, "What does it look like, Dad?" Her dark eyes moved up to meet his finally. "I'm having a bonfire."_

_Taking the stack of pictures from the bathroom counter, Derek set them on the floor outside in the hallway and stared wide-eyed at his daughter. "Tala, you can't be doing stuff like this!" he said sternly. "You're going to scare your sisters. You're scaring _me_ right now!"_

"_Pfft, please," she snapped. "If anyone's scary, it's you. You're saving those pictures. They should all burn. I thought I'd get away with burning them here because you wouldn't care."_

_Rubbing his face, he said, "Tala..."_

"_I don't want to hear it, Dad!" she shouted. "I hate all of this! This is ridiculous! You're stupidly trying to keep this family together when it's pretty clear it's never going to be fixed again! You're an idiot, that's what you are!" Tears filled her eyes and started to trickle down her face. It shocked Derek when he realized how much the anger was just a way at keeping the tears at bay. And right now the shield was failing. "Our family is ruined and you know what? I realized it's not just Mom! It's both of you! You both can't compromise and you're both trying to assert you're the one who is right. You can -" Her voice started to crack. "You can -" Finally her tears broke out and her voice turned to wrenching sobs. She leaned against the counter and slid down it to sit on the floor, burying her face against her knees._

_Blinking away his own tears, Derek sat down next to Tala and pulled her into his arms, letting her cry against his chest._

A knock sounded from his door and he didn't even look up before saying, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal JJ and she closed the door softly behind her. She smiled sadly at him. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," he said. He gestured to the chair in front of him. "You here for long?"

She sat down in the chair. "I'm here as long as you need me," she said. "I came to see how you were holding up."

Derek observed her closely before snorting. "Ah, Penelope had a conversation with you, did she?" he asked sarcastically, leaning back in his chair. "What'd she tell you? How everything is my fault? Or better yet, did she tell you I seduced her? Because before you start in on me about that little episode, I'll have you know that she kissed me. Not the other way around."

JJ shot him a look that very clearly read _Shut the fuck up._ "Do you honestly think she would say that?" she asked incredulously.

"You tell me," he snapped. "I never would have expected her to be cruel either, but three nights ago proved me wrong." He rubbed his face tiredly.

"Derek, I walked in on her sobbing because of what happened," she explained. "I've never seen her so torn up. She didn't mean a single word of what she said to you."

He held up both his hands. "You know what, JJ?" he said in snappy tone. "You don't get to play ambassador for Penelope. If she wants to come and explain herself then that's exactly what she should do. Sending you was pointless."

"She didn't send me here," JJ said calmly. "I came because I wanted to see how you were doing. And by the looks of it, you're doing just as awful as your wife." She sighed. "You both need to sit down and have a proper talk."

Derek cocked an eyebrow at her and muttered, "JJ, the last time we tried to do that our sixteen year old came stumbling into the house, drunk out of her mind. And then that ended even worse." He shook his head again. "Right now, my main concern needs to be my children. Soraya and Lindy just seem to be denying the separation, but Tala..." His voice trailed off as he remembered his daughter's breakdown from her last visit. "I smelled something burning last night and I found her in the bathroom, burning pictures that had Penelope or me in them. She had a complete breakdown after that."

JJ watched Derek's face and she recognized the same pain she'd seen on Penelope's face when she'd talked to her. "You both are doing to much blaming the other when you really should be focusing on fixing the things that went wrong," JJ said.

"I -" His voice cut off. "I'll figure it out. Right now I just need to -" He was cut off yet again, this time by his cellphone ringing. Groaning, he picked it up. He frowned and looked up at JJ. "It's Tala's school," he said with concern. Answering it, he said, "Morgan."

"Hi, this is Derek Morgan, right?" a voice said. "Tala's father?"

"Yeah, that's me," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Mr. Morgan, the reason I'm calling is because the principal wants to meet with both you and your wife about your daughter, Tala," the woman said on the other end of the line. "We were wondering if you could come in now."

Derek groaned and glanced at his watch. It was three thirty. "I can be there at three forty-five," he said tiredly. "Do you mind me asking what this is about?"

"I think it would be better if you just waited for the meeting, sir," the woman said.

He sighed. "Alright," he said. "I'll be there soon. Has someone already called my wife?" Penelope wasn't in the office that day and for that he was grateful. He didn't particularly feel like going and speaking to her in person without another person around.

"Yes, she had us call you," the woman said again. "Her phone was dying."

"Oh, I'm sure it was," he said sarcastically. "I'll be there soon." He put his phone back in his pocket and rose from his seat. "Well, I've got to run, JJ. Apparently Tala's principal wants us to have a little sit down over something that happened with her. They wouldn't tell me what it was about over the phone."

JJ stood too and pulled Derek into a hug. "Okay," she said. "If you ever need to talk, let me know, okay? I'm happy to lend an ear."

Derek gave her a sad smile. "Thanks JJ," he said, before disappearing out the door.

XXXXX

"Lindy, I need you to keep an eye on Soraya while your sister and I are in with the principal, okay?" Penelope said, making sure her seven year old was sitting down right outside the door. "Don't let her run off."

Lindy nodded. "You got it, Mom," she said with a thumbs up. Her eyes drifted from her mother's and she grinned at someone standing in the doorway. "Oh, hey Dad!"

Penelope turned around and saw Derek walking into the high school office, pulling off his leather jacket in the process and taking his sunglasses off his face. Her breath caught in her chest and she had to force herself to meet his eyes. "Hi Derek," she said, not able to muster the energy to even smile at him.

"Hi," he returned through tight lips. Striding past her, he planted kisses on Lindy and Soraya's heads. "Hey girls," he murmured. "Have okay days at school?"

Soraya grinned cheekily at him. "I got the highest grade on my spelling test, Daddy," she said, rifling through her backpack and producing her one hundred percent test. "See?"

A huge, proud smile covered his face. "Great job, sweetie," he said, holding up his hand for a high five.

As he was about to say more, the door to the principal's office opened and the principal, Mrs. Pallo gave the Morgans a grim smile. "Mr. and Mrs. Morgan," she said, holding out her hand to shake both of theirs. "Glad you could make it. Come on in."

Derek allowed Penelope to go in first and when they entered the office they found Tala sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk, her arms folded across her chest. The moment they got a look at her face both of them gasped. Penelope sat next to her and murmured, "Tala! What happened?"

On Tala's face was a large bruise covering her eye and there was a cut on her lip. She continued to stare straight ahead of herself, not glancing at either of her parents.

"What the hell happened to her?" Derek demanded, staring hardly at the principal. "Who did this?"

Mrs. Pallo gestured to the other open seat in front of her desk. "Your daughter got into a fight with another girl today," she stated bluntly. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but she broke the girl's arm."

Both Penelope and Derek's heads snapped to look at Tala. "What?" they said at the same time.

"We do have a few students who witnessed the altercation and they said the fight _was_ in fact provoked," she said. "However, we're going to have to discipline Tala, likely with a suspension."

"What did this other student say to her?" Penelope asked.

"Well -"

Tala finally spoke. "You know what," she said angrily, rising from her seat. "I'm going outside. I don't think this particular conversation has to happen with me in the room, so I'm going to take the girls outside. They probably hate being cooped up in here too."

Derek was about to say something, but the principal shook her head. "That should be fine," she said. "We can continue this without her." Once Tala had slammed the door shut and the room was covered in silence, she spoke again. "Now, the student in question, Ashley Jenkins said -"

Penelope cut her off. "Wait, the Ashley who plays soccer with Tala?" she blurted out.

Mrs. Pallo nodded. "Yes, that Ashley," she said. "Now, Ashley made some comments about you Mrs. Morgan and a relationship you started with Kyle Roberts, the trainer we just hired at the school. Based on these comments, I'm assuming you two are separated or in the process of getting a divorce?" She looked between them.

Derek nodded mutely, not even looking at Penelope and Penelope murmured, "Yes. But even though I went on a few dates with Kyle, that relationship is over. It was just casual. I broke up with him."

"Well, regardless, these things that Ms. Jenkins said set your daughter off and she attacked her," the principal said. "I know that a divorce can be trying on many kids in the home, particularly teenagers and -"

Penelope interrupted her. "Mrs. Pallo, we're separated," she said. "There's been no talk about having a divorce. I just wanted to clarify this." She ignored Derek's wide, shocked eyes that shot to her.

"Right, I apologize," Mrs. Pallo said, correcting herself. "As I was saying, I know that these kinds of things can be extremely hard on teenagers when they happen. What I wanted to talk to you both about in addition to the disciplinary action we're going to have to take, is the prospect of maybe putting Tala into counseling. She's been having some problems in school and maybe if she had someone to talk to then it would help her."

"What kind of problems?" Penelope asked tearfully.

"Well, there's been a lot of back talking with teachers and authority figures, her school work has been slipping and as you know she's an extremely gifted student," she explained. "She's struggling. That much is clear. We think it would be beneficial for everyone involved to have Tala visit someone she can talk to. Maybe even med -"

Derek held up his hand. "Whoa, now!" he said. "Whatever problems Tala is having, they don't need to be solved with medication. Her mother and I can help her and we'll send her to someone to talk to, but we won't force her to take medicine she doesn't need."

To his deep surprise, Penelope agreed with him. "Tala doesn't need any medication," she said. "We will figure it out."

"Alright then," the principal said. "As far as I'm concerned, this meeting can be finished. We can meet at another time to discuss the disciplinary action we'll be taking."

Both Derek and Penelope rose from their seats and shook the principal's hand before leaving the office. They walked together in silence down the hallway, an uncomfortable tension filling the space between them. Finally Penelope couldn't take the silence any long and she grabbed his forearm and pulled him into the first empty classroom she found. He looked at her in complete confusion. "Penelope, what the hell?" he demanded.

She put a finger to his lips to silence him. "Please, let me talk," she said desperately. He looked for a moment like he was going to protest, but then he clamped his mouth shut. She nodded her thanks. "I'm so, so sorry, Derek," she said solemnly. "I wanted to tell you that, every word I said that - that night was not true. I don't know what came over me. I really don't. What I said was cruel and those - they weren't me. I had no idea I could be like that." She paused to wipe her eyes and stifle a soft sob. She couldn't appear weak for this and she certainly shouldn't have been crying. Derek was the wronged one here. Not her. "So I wanted to apologize. For everything. I understand if you don't ever forgive me. Really, I do. I won't ever forgive myself. I just want us to work together to help Tala. And we can't do that if we're at each other's throats all the time."

Derek just stared at her, his eyes piercing through her gaze and seeing right into her. She prayed he could see her remorse and her self-hatred.

And - by some miracle - he seemed to.

He stepped closer to her and took both her hands in his. "Okay," he said. "Let's work together." Tilting her chin up so he could look at her more closely, he added, "And you know what? At first I was mad. I was furious. And I thought I'd never seen that side of you. But what I figured out while JJ was having a chat with me earlier, is that that wasn't you. It was just rage. And we both have a lot of it. We both did shit that was wrong. So...let's work on fixing up Tala. Then we can work on fixing up ourselves."

With tears in her eyes, Penelope let Derek pull her into his arms and hold her. At first they were stiff, but gradually they relaxed into one another's embrace like it was the most normal thing in the world.


	6. Fear Will Find You

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Thanks for the reviews on this so far! I took a small break to write the next chapter of "Hate To Love You" where Penelope kicks Jackie's butt :) So that's what the delay was for. Please sit back and enjoy :) Penelope and Derek are still going to be rocky, but not nearly as bad as the first five chapters. Just to let you know!**

Tala had never been more pissed in her life. She'd taken her sisters outside so they wouldn't have to be cooped up in the stuffy high school office. That and she want to get away from the confrontation that was going to take place regarding her fight with Ashley Jenkins. It didn't surprise her that it was Ashley would be the one to start in on her about her mother. The whole Jenkins family were a lot of racist assholes and they had nothing but crap to say about Penelope.

"_Hey Tala, is what I'm hearing true about your mom?" Ashley called across the locker room to Tala. "She's shacking up with the new trainer?"_

_All Tala did was ignore her. She wasn't in the mood to get in a fight with Ashley. But despite all of her anger at her mother and her desire to ignore the jeers of her classmate, she couldn't control the fury that was boiling beneath her skin. She couldn't control it. It was coming and there was nothing she could do to stop it. No one was going to insult her mother. No matter how angry she was at her, _no one_ was going to attack Penelope._

"_I wonder how that feels, knowing your mother left your father," Ashley pondered aloud._

_Another girl snapped, "Lay off, Ashley!"_

"_I'm just saying..."_

_Finally Tala herself snapped. Slamming her locker shut, she turned to face Ashley and stalked towards her. "Really?" she said in a low voice. "What were you just saying? I'd love to hear it."_

_Ashley smirked. "Well, I was just saying that your mother is a slut who left your father to shack up with the new school trainer," she sighed like she was exhausted and ready to yawn. She tilted her head to the side and added in a snicker, "Please. Do tell me how big of a slut your mom is. Is Kyle Roberts the only man she's fucking or is there a list of other ones?"_

_The anger that had been boiling beneath the surface consumed her and Tala launched herself at Ashley, hands poised to grab her. Remembering a offensive maneuver JJ had taught her when training her in self-defense, Tala grabbed Ashley's arm and twisted it. Ashley let out a scream of pain and several of the other girls gasped in shock._

"_Say one more thing about my mother and I'll break your other arm," Tala hissed. Then, without another word, she grabbed her bag and strode out of the locker room._

"Tala?" Soraya asked, skipping up to her sister who was sitting on a bench outside her school. The seven year old sat next to her sister and looked at her curiously.

"What's up, Raya?" she asked.

"Why do you hate Mom so much?" Her eyes were wide as she waited expectantly for the answer.

Rubbing her eyes, Tala shook her head. "Raya, I don't hate Mom," she muttered. "I'm just mad at her. Really, really mad."

"But you always yell at her," Soraya argued. "Did you know that she cries all the time? I think it's not just that she misses Daddy. I think she misses _you_ too."

Ruffling her baby sister's hair, Tala nudged her with her shoulder and smiled. "For being seven years old, you're shockingly perceptive." But internally she sighed. When she truly sat down and thought about it, she really did miss her mom. They'd once been closer than any two people could be, but now, since she'd so ridiculously kicked Derek out she'd wanted to be as far away from her mother as she could possibly be.

"I still think Daddy will come home," Soraya murmured, leaning her head against Tala's shoulder.

Tala didn't respond to it. She felt like it was pointless.

As she and Soraya were waiting for their parents, Tala caught sight of Lindy talking to a man by the side of the road. The man looked like he was harassing her sister and she didn't know how to get away. Frowning, she stood up and said, "Raya, I need you to wait here, okay?"

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking confused.

"Just stay here," she said firmly. "I'll be right back." Quickly she made her way towards the scene and put her hand on Lindy's shoulder. "Er hi," she said to the man who was staring at her with a maniacal expression on his face. "Can we help you?" She made sure to step in front of her younger sister and shield her from the stranger.

"I was just asking this young lady for directions," he said with a toothy grin. He gestured to a van with no windows parked by the curb that was still running. "I'm on a road trip, you see."

Tala nodded with nervousness. "Okay," she said slowly. She gulped. "Well, we'd better be going. Have a nice trip." Pushing Lindy in the direction of going back to where they had been sitting, the stranger suddenly grabbed Tala by the wrist. Shocked, she tried to yank it away. "Let me go, you creep!" she cried.

"Let go of my sister!" Lindy shouted, beating her delicate fists against the brute of a man's arm. "Let her go!"

The man smirked. "Quit struggling," he snapped.

"Hey! Leave them alone!"

Tala's face shot in the direction her seven year old sister's voice had come from. Soraya had come running towards them. Her eyes grew with fright and worry. "Soraya!" she cried. "Run and get help!"

Soraya hesitated for a moment, but turned to run anyway. However, before she made it anywhere, a man with a ski mask leapt from the other side of the attacker's van and snatched Soraya in his arms, covering her mouth to keep her screams silent.

"No!" Tala screamed. Looking around the deserted sidewalk, she prayed someone might come if they heard her yelling. "Someone help! Help us!"

But it was to no avail. The man not wearing a ski mask grabbed both Lindy and Tala by there arms and shoved them inside the van. Soraya was soon thrown in and she landed on top of her sisters. She was crying and Tala tried to open the van's door again, but it had been locked. Rising to a kneeling position, she began to bang her fists against the chain link barrier between the back and the driver and passenger seats which the two perps had slid into. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded in a screech. "Let us go!"

Ignoring her, the one not wearing a mask hissed, "Now we have two others. I only wanted the older one!"

"Did you not hear me?" she shrieked.

"Well, you did this wrong this time," the one in the mask muttered. "If you had let the other two go, they'd be running to tell Mommy and Daddy who had taken their eldest daughter."

"Who the hell are you freaks?" Tala hollered. "Answer me!"

The men groaned simultaneously. "Told you she was a screamer," the masked one snapped before slamming the plastic shut so that they couldn't hear her.

Groaning, she wished her phone had been in her pocket and not in her purse that was still sitting on the bench in front of the school. Tala turned back around and saw the looks on her sisters' faces. Soraya was weeping uncontrollably and Lindy had silent tears running down her cheeks. Pulling both of them into her arms, she murmured, "Don't worry...Mom and Dad will find us."

She just prayed that they would be able to work together in time to find them before something worse happened to them than just being taken by two strangers with a creepy van.

XXXXX

After their first friendly encounter in the empty classroom, Derek and Penelope headed towards the exit of the school. On the way out, Derek felt the most intense urge to grab his wife's hand, but he had to remind himself he needed to keep things platonic until they helped Tala first. It would just confuse their children.

"I can start asking around about counselors for her," Penelope said, pulling her sunglasses over her face as they exited the building. Derek held the door open for her and she murmured, "Thank you." As they walked into the sunlight, they looked around for any sign of their daughters. Derek furrowed his brow. Penelope looked around worriedly. "Girls!" she called. "Tala? Lindy? Raya?" With anxiety on her face, she said, "Maybe they went to the car?"

Derek looked around until is eyes fell on a bench where there was no sign of his children, but their backpacks were. Running over to the bench, he hollered, "Penelope! I need you over here!" Hurriedly he began to rifle through all three of the bags. In Lindy's and Tala's he found their cellphones.

Not a good sign, considering his daughters always had their phones on them.

She came running over. "What is it?" she asked hoarsely, wobbling on her feet in her three inch heels. Her face went white with fear when he held up their daughters' phones. "Derek..." she murmured, her eyes filling with tears. "Please tell me they weren't -"

Putting both his hands on her shoulders, he said, "Penelope, I need you to call the police. I'm going to call Hotch and let him know what's going on. Can you do that for me right now?"

Biting her lip to keep from crying, Penelope sniffled and nodded. "I'll call them immediately," she whispered,

Moving some of her hair out of her face to get a closer look at her face, he murmured, "Okay." But no matter how calm his exterior was, he was feeling like his world had tipped off its axis. He had no idea what to do. His mind was racing and his blood was cold. And anger was not his most prominent emotion wasn't anger. It was fear. Pure unadulterated fear. Fear had found him.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he swiftly dialed Hotch's number. "Hotchner," his boss answered.

"Hotch man," he said with a hoarse voice. "We've got a problem."

"What is it?" Hotch asked, instantly concerned.

Derek couldn't speak for a moment. His vocal cords were paralyzed. When he finally spoke, his voice was ragged. "Hotch, we had a meeting at Tala's school today and the girls went outside. We're outside and the only sign of them anywhere are there backpacks with their phones and wallets in them." He took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. "Hotch, they're nowhere to be found."

"You're positive that Tala didn't just take off to cool some steam?" Hotch asked.

"Why would she take her sisters with her? Why would she leave the bags containing their phones and money without one of the other girls watching them? I know Tala...she wouldn't do that."

"Alright, I'm on my way," he said. "Have you called the local PD yet?"

"Yeah, Penelope just called them," Derek said unsteadily. Hotch's silent on the other end of the line made him pause. "What's on your mind?"

"Are you and Penelope going to be able to talk your hands off each other's throats for the time being?" he asked cautiously.

Derek sighed. "Yes, Hotch," he said. "We're having a good day today. Right now what's going on between us isn't important. We need to find our daughters."

"I'm out the door now," Hotch said.

XXXXX

"Mr. and Mrs. Morgan," one of the police officers said, coming up to them. Hotch and Rossi were speaking with the head detective and had told Penelope and Derek they had to stay out of the way for the time being. For that time period while they'd been exiled outside of the investigation, Penelope had grabbed Derek's hand and refused to let go.

Both Penelope and Derek leapt to their feet and rushed to the officer who had spoken. "Officer," Penelope murmured, still clutching Derek's hand. She wiped her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Well, there's no sign of your daughters within a two mile radius and no one saw anyone take them," the officer said sympathetically. "We need to get to the station and get an APB sent out for them."

Penelope started crying harder and Derek put his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go then," he said. "We'll meet you at the station."

"Look for Chief Hernandez when you get there," the officer said. "He'll get you and the rest of your team set up. Agent Hotchner said he'd called the rest of them in to help with the case."

Nodding, Derek started to lead Penelope towards his car. She was leaning against him and sobbing. "Hey," he murmured. "We're going to find them. It'll be okay."

"Why would someone take them?" she wept. "This should never have happened to them! We never should have let Tala leave that room!"

He opened the passenger side door and helped Penelope inside, steadying her hands so she could buckle her seat belt. Touching her cheek, he said, "You've got to breathe, Penelope. Breathe..." He watched her exhale and inhale deeply. "We're going to the station and we're going to find the bastards who took them." He cocked an eyebrow and said. "You breathing better now?"

She nodded shakily. "I'm okay," she said hoarsely, wiping her eyes. "You're right, we'll get them back."

Kissing her forehead, he shut the door and went around to the driver's side to get in himself. But before he opened the door, he noticed an envelope sitting on the windshield.

Picking it up, he ripped the envelope open and three photos fell out into his grasp. There was one of each of his daughters, taken with a polaroid camera from different times fairly recently. One was of Soraya as she left her school for the day; the second was of Lindy sitting on the front porch of their house with a book in her hands; the final one was of Tala as she kicked a goal on the soccer field.

Feeling his blood run cold, Derek's mouth dropped as he realized something: the man who'd taken his daughters had his eye on them for a long time.

**There'll be more on the unsub in the next one! Hope this one was okay...Derek and Penelope are on the mend, unfortunately in light of some awful events. PLEASE REVIEW! I'd love to know your thoughts or guesses on what's going on :)**


	7. The Unsub's MO

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Sorry about the delay in the release of this chapter! I've been preoccupied with a few things and haven't had time to work on it. But here it is :) I hope you enjoy it and thank you for the kind reviews! You rock my socks off!**

**On another note: I was wondering how many of you like the Hunger Games...if you would be willing to leave a comment regarding it in the review box, I will explain my reason for questioning it if I get enough answers :)**

"Get out of the fucking van!"

The man who wasn't wearing a ski mask flung the door to the van open. They were in a dank and dusty garage where there wasn't much light as thick curtains were covering the windows. Only flickers of the late evening sun could be seen coming through cracks in the walls. A gun was in his hand and he pointed it at the three sisters. Tala kept her arms around her sisters and looked at their captor with tears in her eyes. "Please!" she begged. "Just let my sisters go! I heard what you said about only wanting me...let my sisters go. Please!"

"Well if you heard that part then you most certainly heard that we can't have them running off to tell Mommy and Daddy," he snarled. He refocused his aim so that the gun was pointed at Soraya's head. "Now...get out of the van or I'll shoot the little one."

"Come on, girls," Tala whispered to Soraya and Lindy. "We have to get out."

Soraya struggled against getting out. "Tala, I don't want to get out!" she cried. "He scares me!"

"Shh, I know," she murmured. "But you have to come with me and Lindy. Okay?" With big, fat tears in her eyes, Soraya nodded and held tightly to Tala. Looking back at the man who'd taken them, Tala hissed, "We're getting out."

"Good girl," he said with a wicked smile, motioning for them to step forward into the dimly lit garage. There was no sign of the man in the ski mask. He'd disappeared. Holding her sisters close to her, Tala walked in the direction the armed man was forcing them. They stopped at a rug in the middle of the garage and he barked, "Kick it aside. Open the door that you find under it."

With shaking fingers, Tala released her sisters' grips on her and knelt down to move the filthy rug that had been walked over for years. She pushed it aside and unlocked the small metal latch. Hurriedly she wiped her face before pulling up the trap-door. The sound of her sisters' crying made her only more nervous. She had no idea how she was supposed to keep them calm and safe. This was completely beyond her.

"Work faster! It's not that hard to open the door!" he yelled.

Tala turned to glare at him, but the moment she saw that he had his arm wrapped around Lindy's neck and the gun pointed at her temple she dropped the glare and hurried to lift the heavy door. With a groan, she hauled the door up with all her strength. It revealed a staircase that led into a darkened basement and the air was cold and damp. She looked back at him. "There," she spat. "I've got it open. Let my sister go!"

He grinned, showing off his crooked and yellowing teeth. Tala stood up and he shoved both Lindy and Soraya in her direction so that they stumbled backwards. "Get in the basement! Now!"

Leading her sisters down the stairwell and into the dark basement, Tala looked up at the man who'd taken them and shouted, "My father will find you. And when he does there won't be anything you can do to stop him from locking your ass up!"

"We'll see if we don't get to him first," he laughed. "Before he _finds _me, as you so delicately put it." He started to close the door and added, "You girls make yourself at home. We'll come back for you in a little while."

And then he slammed the door shut, locking it up and sliding the rug over it again.

The girls were left in complete darkness after the rug was slid back over the trapdoor. Sitting down, cross-legged on the floor, she let Soraya and Lindy bury their faces against her. She kissed the top of both their heads and whispered, "It's okay."

"Are Mom and Dad really going to find us?" Lindy whimpered. Apparently Tala didn't speak quick enough and Lindy repeated herself. "Tala! Are Mom and Dad going to find us?"

Though Tala couldn't see her sister, she felt around to take her hand. She gave it a squeeze. "They will," she said firmly. She had to give them hope. "Then we'll go home and we'll all be together."

The only problem was she didn't know if she believed her own words.

XXXXX

Derek and Penelope rushed into the precinct they'd been directed to. Reid, Blake, and JJ were already there, setting up and talking with who they figured might be the police chief, Hernandez. Blake saw them coming inside and waved them over. Before she could even say anything, Derek shoved the envelope of photos into her hand. She looked down at them. "What are these?" she asked, opening the envelope.

"They're pictures of our daughters," Penelope choked. "They - they've been following them! Whoever this unsub is, they've been following them!"

Blake took the photos out and observed each and every one of them. Her face formed a grim line. "Come with me," she said, motioning for them to follow her to the area they'd set up shop. She handed the photos to JJ and said, "We need to put these up on the board."

A Hispanic man in his forties approached Derek and Penelope. "Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, I'm Joe Hernandez, Chief of Police," he said, shaking Penelope's hand, then Derek's. "I want you to know we're going to do everything we can to get your children back. They'll be safe and sound with you soon."

Derek nodded his thanks. "Thank you," he said hoarsely.

JJ took three tacks out to stick them on the cork board where they were starting to get things ready. As soon as she was finished, she went to Penelope's side and pulled her into a hug. "Are you going to be okay, Garcie?" she murmured.

"We have to get them back, Jayje," she cried against her friend's neck. "We _have_ to!"

Pulling back, JJ said, "And we will. Let's start working on that then."

As she was about to say something more, the officers from the school and Rossi and Hotch appeared in the doorway of the conference room. "Glad to see you're all here," Hotch said. "Now, what is it we know about this unsub so far? Blake, did you check and see about any related cases in the area with the locals?"

"We just discussed this," Blake said, motioning to the Chief. "Now, originally this looked just like a standard kidnapping case, but the moment Morgan handed me those photos. There have been a few cases in Virginia, a few in North Carolina, and one in Tennessee that are similar to this. These were left on your windshield?" She waited for Derek's nod before continuing. "There have been cases where the unsub leaves pictures of the kidnapped children on their parents' car windshield."

Reid took over for her after that, his voice getting lower. "This unsub never has any witnesses and takes the children usually from areas that the child would be expected to be at: school, sporting events, et cetera. We don't know how he gets around, but we do know what happens when they are done with them..." His voice trailed off until the whole room got quiet.

Penelope's face visibly paled and Derek squeezed her hand. Turning to look at her, he whispered, "Baby, do you want to go outside? You don't have to hear this if you don't want to."

She shook her head. "No," she said firmly, choking on a sob. "I can handle it."

Reid and Blake exchanged looks and then turned to face Hotch, looking for his approval. "You heard her," he said with a nod, crossing his arms across his chest. "You can tell her."

Blake coughed and continued. "The MO of this unsub is consistent and organized. He stalks his victims for a time period. He keeps them for exactly a week. His victims are always female. And the torture and sexual assault on them is..." She paused. She closed her eyes. Though she'd joined the team later, she'd known the Morgan girls all their lives, all three of them. This was painful for her too. "The torture and assault is done about three days before. We assume he grooms them the first four days based on the traces of makeup we find on their bodies." She paused yet again.

"Something tells me there's more that you're hesitant to tell us," Rossi said stiffly. He was just as upset as any of the other team members; Tala was his goddaughter.

It was JJ's turn to speak and her voice was deathly quiet when she did. "There's been only one change in his MO," she said.

"What's that?" Derek asked gravely.

When JJ didn't immediately respond, Penelope screeched, "Tell us what changed in his MO, JJ!"

She averted her eyes and whispered, "He's never taken three girls before. Certainly never below the age of fifteen."

Penelope's tears were now spilling out of her eyes rapidly. "What does that mean?" she asked hoarsely.

"It means that we don't know if he'll spare Soraya and Lindy for as long as he would spare Tala..."

Immediately Penelope fell against Derek's chest and began to bawl into his chest, unable to contain her grief any longer. "Derek held her gently in his arms and looked to the rest of the room. "Can you guys give us a minute?" he asked quietly.

Hotch nodded. "Of course," he said. "We'll start giving the officers the preliminary profile."

Derek nodded and waited until the team left the room to take Penelope and sit down on the couch in the corner of the room. He rocked her against his chest and kissed the top of her head.

"They have our babies!" she wept. "They took them and they want to hurt them!"

Keeping his cheek against her head, he whispered, "We're going to get them back and we're going to keep them safe. Safe from everything. And we will lock this son of a bitch up for the rest of his miserable life."

Looking up at him with red, bloodshot eyes she grabbed his cheeks and rested her forehead against his. "We'll do this together," she murmured. "If we don't we'll lose everything."

XXXXX

"We're going to begin this investigation by giving you a preliminary profile," Hotch said. "This unsub we're dealing with has been doing this type of kidnapping for a while back, the first reported one two years ago. His MO is he kidnaps teenage girls from places such as school, extra curricular activities, other places they spend time."

Reid spoke up. "He's a highly organized and efficient person, able to take these girls from areas that you would think they would be safe," he explained.

"He's also a sexual sadist," Rossi said. "He takes these girls and tortures them, violently assaulting them and marring their bodies. He takes pleasure in this."

"And by leaving pictures of the girls on their parents' windshields, he's showing them their dominance over them and to showing them he's been planning the capture for a while," Blake added.

JJ added, "He keeps them for seven days and usually spends the first few grooming them for his final acts. And that means we have a strict timeline to adhere to. So we have to work extra hard to find these girls. He'll be in the area."

"Let's find them," Hotch said firmly.


	8. Memories

**Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not owned by me, but if it were, know I would have Morgan and Garcia together...where they belong.**

**Thank you lovely people for the lovely reviews! I am grateful for each and every one of them and hope this one meets your expectations :) The flashback scenes are in italics. This is another Tala heavy chapter.**

_Day 1 Of The Search_

"We need to have a technical analyst helping us on this," Hotch said as soon as the profile had been giving. "Call Lynch. We'll need him along on this one."

Blake nodded. "I'm on it," she said.

Hotch turned to the Chief. "Chief Hernandez, we need everything you have on the cases from the other states," he said. "We're going to have to look through them for any ideas where to start."

"I'll get the case files up here immediately," Hernandez said.

As soon as the cases were brought up, they began pouring over them. Reid looked up and said, "Guys, there is something here that we should take a look at. Apparently, a tip was called in saying that there was a van with a partial South Carolina plate. They only got four digits: U - D - 8 - O. But the local PD on this particular case never found anything in the area. It looks like the unsub got away before they caught him."

"Do we have Lynch up and running back at Quantico?" Hotch asked Blake when she returned to the conference room.

She nodded. "I can get him on speaker phone," she said. Dialing Kevin Lynch on the phone, she stuck it on speaker phone. "Lynch, it's Blake again. You're on speaker."

"Alright agents," he said. "How can I help get the Morgan girls back?"

"Lynch, we need you to look up a partial license plate for us," Reid said. "The local PD in Raleigh, North Carolina had a tip called in about a van. The description given was a windowless, dark blue van with a partial plate U - D - 8 - O from South Carolina. We need you to look into it."

"Is that all?" Lynch said.

Reid opened his mouth to reply that they were all done, when JJ came back over and interrupted him before he could talk. "Yeah, Lynch" she said. "We need you to check out one more thing."

"Fire away, Agent Jareau."

She pulled down the photo of Tala from the board where they had put it and looked at the back of it. "I noticed there was something on the back of this," she said. "It's a stamp for where the photo came from. Lynch, I need you to get us the address for a Goldstein Pharmacy. Apparently they have a twenty four hour photo. It's here in DC."

"Give me just a moment," he said. "I'll have it for you...okay, here it is!" He paused and added, "Alright, the address is 8787 Houseman Dr. Anything else?"

Hotch rose from his seat and pointed to Blake and Rossi. "Blake and Rossi, go to the pharmacy and ask about who picked up the pictures. Reid, go along with them to get the video surveillance. They might have caught something about who took the girls. From there we can send it back to Quantico. Lynch, call us when you get anything on the van."

"Will do, Agent Hotchner," he replied before the phone cut out. "I'll call you as soon as I have something to help."

XXXXX

Tala was leaning against the stone wall of the basement with Lindy and Soraya's heads resting on her lap. The two of them were breathing steadily after having fallen asleep. But there was no way Tala could sleep. She was too terrified. The room they were in was completely dark and there was no sign of light. Rubbing her face, she wiped away a few of her tears that she'd refused to let fall while her sisters were still awake. This was way beyond her. She never thought she would have to deal with the crap her parents dealt with on a weekly basis. She never thought she'd find herself in a place where she had no sense of time and where she had no idea what to do to get herself out.

She wondered what her parents were doing. Whether they were arguing about it being the other's fault or if they had set aside their differences to try and find them. She hoped to God they were getting along. Her family was one of the only things she truly valued and when her parents had split she was crushed. She'd begun hating life after the separation and at times she wanted nothing more than to smack her parents into loving each other again.

But right at that moment she wanted Derek and Penelope to wrap her in their arms and hold her until every ounce of pain was gone. Her head began to drift off to memories from months ago.

_A knock sounded from Tala's door and she looked up from her computer to yell, "Come in!" The door opened to reveal her father and she got up from her bed and threw her arms around him. "Dad! You're home!" Derek had been gone for the past week and a half and though he'd missed her choir concert, she wasn't very upset. She left that to her mother. She'd just missed her father._

"_Hey sweetie," he said, kissing the top of her head. "Sorry I missed your concert last week."_

"_It's not a big deal," she said with a wave of her hand. "I don't really care about choir anyway." She noticed he was being extremely quiet and she frowned. "Er, Dad? What's wrong?"_

_He sighed and moved her backpack off her desk chair and sat down. "Honey, I need to talk to you," he said. "I mean, I'll have to talk to Lindy and Raya too, but they're both asleep now. But..." His voice trailed off and she cocked an eyebrow in the exact same way he would._

"_Dad, what's the problem?" she asked with a nervous laugh._

_He rubbed his face again and said, "Tala, I really don't know how to tell you this. Your Mom and I are going to talk with you and the girls, but since you're -"_

"_Dad," she said bluntly. "What?"_

"_I'm - I'm moving out," he said grimly._

_At first she thought he was joking, but when his face didn't change or break into a grin, she felt her stomach drop. "Wh - what?" she stammered. "Are you kidding?"_

_He shook his head and reached out to take her hand. "No, I'm not kidding. Your Mom asked -"_

_She jumped to her feet and shook her hand out of his. "Wait, wait!" she said. "You're telling me that _Mom_ kicked you out? She asked you to leave?" She knew that her father wasn't home all the time and she knew her mother had in recent years started to be more testy about it, but she never thought she would kick him out. It made no sense. Her parents were the two most lovey dovey people she'd ever seen in her entire life. They couldn't get divorced; it wasn't in their DNA. It just didn't happen to people like them. Tears filled her eyes and she started for the door._

"_Tala, where are you going?" he asked._

"_To bitch Mom out," she snapped, tossing the rhetorical question over her shoulder._

After months of being at odds with her mother, she missed her. And at that moment, she wondered seriously if she was ever going to see her again.

_It had been months since Derek had moved out and into a tiny apartment and Tala had essentially stopped speaking to Penelope unless it was to yell at her. She never wanted to forgive her._

"_Tala honey, can I come in?" Penelope asked hesitantly after opening Tala's bedroom door slightly._

"_Ever heard of knocking?" Tala responded sarcastically, not looking up from her homework._

_Ignoring her daughter's sarcasm, Penelope came in anyway and sat down on the edge of her bed. She smiled softly, hoping her daughter would respond or at least look at her. "Tala, will you look at me please? I just need a couple of minutes with you."_

_Tossing her pen down into her book, Tala looked up at Penelope and glared. "Mom, I'm really busy and I have a game tomorrow afternoon so I have to get this stuff done okay? Make it quick." She noticed the hurt look on her mother's face, but she didn't care. It was some consolation for the constant hurt she saw in her father's eyes._

"_Honey, I wanted to let you know that I..." Her voice trailed off and she started again. "I wanted to tell you that..."_

_Rolling her eyes, Tala snapped, "Mom! What?"_

_Penelope looked at Tala with sad eyes and murmured, "I wanted to let you know that I started seeing someone." Tala stared at her blankly and she added, "And you know him." Penelope waited again for her to respond, but when she didn't, she sighed. "It's Kyle Roberts. The trainer at your school. We met at one of your soccer games."_

"_You're dating the school's trainer?" she blurted incredulously. "Seriously?"_

"_I know this is hard for you, but your dad and I -" Tala rose from her seat on her bed and grabbed her things to shove in her backpack. She didn't care that her mother was still trying to talk to her. "Honey, where are you going?"_

_Huffing, Tala grumbled, "I'm going to see Dad."_

"_Honey, you're not supposed to see him until tomorrow," Penelope protested._

"_Yeah, well I'd rather see him than _you_," she hissed, stomping down the hall._

The sliding of something on the floor above her made her snap out of her day dreaming. A shot of fear raced up her spine. Her breathing started to grow more rapid and she squeezed her eyes shut, unable to stop her tears of fear. Suddenly the darkness was lit up when the trapdoor opened to reveal the upstairs. She kept her eyes closed even as she heard the heavy steps of her captor coming down the rickety steps and across the floor of the basement. She was grateful her sisters didn't stir. When the footsteps stopped and all she heard was the breathing of the man who'd taken them, she finally felt brave enough to open her eyes. He was standing over her and her sisters with a sinister grin covering his face. Her lower lip quivered and she couldn't stop herself from shaking.

"Rise and shine, sweetheart," he snickered quietly. "Come with me."

Biting her lip to keep herself from whimpering, she shook her head and glared at him, even though she was pretty sure her glare was the lamest one in history. As expected, he laughed at her face. To try and make herself more intimidating, she growled, "No."

"Come with me," he repeated more dangerously. When she shook her head again and refused to move, he knelt down and pulled his gun out of the back of his jeans and used it to move a lock of Soraya's hair from her face. A small cry escaped her lips this time and he grinned wickedly. "Come with me, or I'll blow your little sissy's brains out. And you don't want that, do you?"

"If I go with you, will you let my sisters go?" she asked quietly.

"Get up!" he snapped.

"Tell me you'll leave my sisters go!"

Losing his patience, he leaned forward and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her forward until she was on her knees and her sisters were startled awake. "Tala?" Lindy said in a surprised voice. "What's going on?"

"Lindy, stay with Raya!" Tala gasped as the man pulled her away. He was dragging her along and she kicked out. "Let me go!"

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he pulled her to her feet and pushed the head of his gun into her her back. "Move!" Tala stood there defiantly and he backhanded her across the face. "NOW!" he roared.

Tala looked back at her petrified sisters and turned back to the man holding them captive. Glaring at him, she started up the stairs and when they reached the top she hissed, "What do you want with us?"

Not responding, he grabbed her by the upper arm and held it in a bruising grip. "Keep walking!" he yelled, moving her towards the nearest door. She saw the van that had brought her and her sisters to the hell hole they were in. "Open the door!" Reaching for the iron knob with a shaking hand, she wiggled the rickety door until it opened into a dark corridor that was very dimly lit. Hesitantly she made her way into the building and stopped when he hollered, "Stop here and go in the door on the right!"

"What is this place?" she asked as he pushed her in. The room they'd entered into looked like...a _beauty salon_? "Is this some kind of joke?" she demanded as he shoved her into a chair in front of the mirror. Pasted to the wall around it and the bulb lights were dozens of girls in makeup. A gasp escaped her throat. On a different wall were pictures of the same girls, only it was difficult to tell it was them. Their bodies were marred, mauled, and mutilated. Was this what was going to happen to her and her sisters?

She tried to lash out at him, but he latched her one of her wrists to the chair so that she was trapped. "Let me out of here, you freak!" she screamed.

"Hold still, Tala," he said in a soft voice, forcing her down and locking her other wrist into the restraints. "Sit still or I'll make this worse for you."

Glaring at him, she hissed, "Do it! See if I care!"

Backhanding her again as if it was completely normal, he laughed, "Maybe you don't care about you, but it looks like you care about those little sisters that I have downstairs. Want me to do something to them?"

"No!" she screamed, tears filling her eyes again. "Please! Just leave them alone!"

"Do you promise to be nice then?" he asked in a cooing voice.

She bit her lip and nodded, unable to stop the tears. "Yes, I'll do anything!" she cried. "Just leave my sisters alone!"

He laughed again and started moving around the room, gathering different makeup tools. "Oh, don't worry sweetie," he said softly. "Those little girls don't hold anything to you. They're not going to get the same...treatment." He came up behind her and leaned down so his chin was in the crook of her neck. Pouting, he looked at her tear streaked face in the mirror and added, "Oh, don't cry! We're going to have _fun_ together these next four days. It' going to be a blast!"

Tala squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip. She couldn't contain her fear anymore. She was down right terrified.

"You have such pretty hair," he murmured, taking a brush to it and going from her scalp to the tips of her hair. "It's got the same looking texture as your mother's."

Her eyes snapped open and she caught sight of her captor brushing her hair. "How do you know what my mother's hair looks like?" she asked.

He paused in his brushing to lean down again. This time he placed a tender kiss on her cheek and she shivered with fright. "There are a lot of things I know about you, Tala," he said in a soft voice, their eyes meeting in the mirror again. "And the texture of your pretty mother's hair is just one of them."


	9. Little Wolf

**Disclaimer: I own none of Criminal Minds :( It makes me weep to acknowledge this fact.**

**So here's more of this little fic. We've got more creepy unsub and more clues as to who said creepy unsub is. I've been getting lots of guesses...keep 'em coming :) So, thank you for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this next little installment!**

_Day 1 of the Search_

Blake and Rossi came back into the precinct, Reid trailing in behind them. "Hotch," Rossi said as they walked back into the room the BAU had been set up in. "We talked to the photo developer and he said he remembered the photos, but he never gave them to the person who needed them developed. That was another employee."

"There's only one problem," Blake said. "The photos were picked up at least a month ago and they had the invoice for it, but the name on it was bogus and it was paid for with cash. We had Lynch run the name already. Dead end there."

Hotch sighed in frustration. This was not the best way for their investigation to start. "Okay," he said. "Did you get the video footage, Reid?"

Reid nodded. "I'm having it sent to Lynch now," he said. "It took them a little while to find it, but they did."

"No calls yet on the license plate," Rossi added. "Lynch is no Penelope." He glanced at Hotch and was about to open his mouth but he held up his hand to stop him.

"Absolutely not," he said. "We're not going to have Penelope near a computer. These are her daughters we're looking for. Her emotions would absolutely conflict with the investigation." As he finished speaking, JJ had come out of the conference room where Derek and Penelope had been told to stay. "How are they doing in there?" he asked her.

She looked in the window to see Derek holding Penelope and shook her head. "It's so weird," she said. "They've both just shut down."

"Well, I'd rather they shut down than rip at each other's throats," Hotch said, rubbing his forehead. Looking at his watch, he said, "It's eleven o'clock. We'd better start another pot of coffee and get moving with figuring out where he might be keeping the girls. Day one is almost up."

XXXXX

"Ba -" Derek paused. He couldn't call Penelope that. At least not for the time being. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Penelope, let me take you home," he said softly. It was now almost one in the morning and the investigation was at a stand still until Lynch located the partial license plate. Penelope was standing at the window and staring outside with her red swollen eyes. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "They're not going to let us do anything in the investigation, so you might as well get some sleep."

She glared at him. "How can I possibly sleep right now?" she demanded. "I'm not sleeping until we find Tala, Lindy, and Raya!"

He sighed. "Penelope," he said more firmly.

"Don't 'Penelope' me!"

"Fine! Don't sleep! But I'm taking you home," he said. "You're not staying here."

"Fine!"

Picking up her coat, Derek held it up for her as she put it on. He led her out of the room and they stopped to see Hotch before heading out the door. "Hotch," he said. "I'm taking Penelope back to her house. Call us if you find anything...please." His face was desperate as he looked at his unit chief.

"Alright," Hotch said. "You both need some sleep. We'll call you as soon as we know anything."

"Thank you, Hotch," Penelope said gratefully. "Please find them." Tears filled her eyes. Derek put his arm around her shoulder and they started for the door again. They were both silent as they walked towards Derek's SUV. He opened the door for her and she nodded her thanks. As he got in the car and started it, her mind was reeling. She was going home to an empty house and her daughters were somewhere all alone with a sick bastard who wanted to kill them. She almost missed the fact that Derek had gone past the turn to get to the school so she could get her car. "Derek, you missed the turn," she said tiredly.

He shook his head. "No, I'm taking you home," he said decisively. "You're too tired to drive."

"Derek, you don't have any right to tell me if I'm too tired to drive!" she huffed. "Now take me back to my car. How am I supposed to get back to the station tomorrow if you take me home?"

He glanced at her like she was an idiot. "How do you think?" he asked. "I'm staying with you."

Her face turned bright red. "Derek, I don't think -"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not sleeping with you," he said. "I'll sleep in the guest room. Don't freak out so much."

"Oh," she said quietly.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence and Penelope was grateful when they arrived home. But the moment she got out of the car and looked at her dark house, her eyes began to water once again and she was reminded of the fact that her daughters were gone and she didn't know if she would get them back. Derek and she walked up the steps of the porch and she unlocked the door with shaking hands. She put her bag down and took off her coat and shoes before turning to her husband. "I'll go get you some sheets and a pillow," she muttered, averting her eyes and going up the stairs to get bedding for him. As she was getting the sheets from the hall closet, she passed by a photo of the five of them on the wall and she paused.

It was a picture of her family from the past Christmas. Her daughters were bunched together and leaning on one another with huge smiles on their faces. All at once her heart began to break and tears flooded her eyes.

"Penelope?"

Her face snapped away from the photo and met Derek's eyes. She quickly wiped away her tears and shook her head. "Here's your sheets," she mumbled, handing them over. He took them from her, but proceeded to set them on the ground as soon as she put them in his hands.

Pulling her into his arms, he held her tightly and murmured, "We're going to find them."

She didn't respond. She just let her tears fall and wet his shirt.

XXXXX

"Am I supposed to call you something?" Tala asked hoarsely as the man who was holding her brought her a glass of water and held it up to her lips.

He snickered. "You can call me Keith," he said as he finished brushing her hair. He'd spent hours brushing her hair and studying her appearance. "You really do look a lot like your mother. She has such pretty features. Especially her mouth. It's so perfectly shaped."

Tala couldn't suppress the shiver that went down her spine. "How do you know what my mother looks like?" she asked quietly. "We don't know you. Have you been watching us?"

He snickered and put the brush down on the makeup table. "You ask an awful lot of questions," he laughed. "My source tells me you get that from Daddy. Was he right?" Tala didn't answer immediately and he spun the chair around to smack her once more. "You need to answer me, little wolf."

Her head snapped up. "What did you just call me?" she asked.

"Your name means 'Wolf'...doesn't it?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

He stroked her cheek again. "Wolves are pack animals," he said. "They are loyal to their family. Fiercely loyal. And that sounds like you. You care more about them than you do about yourself. How would you feel if I went to Mommy's house and just...blew her brains out?" Tala's eyes went wide and she felt tears well up in her eyes. He laughed at her face. "Because you know I could do it. I could just creep in and kill her. You've been fighting with your mother a lot lately. Haven't you?"

She nodded.

"So you wouldn't mind if I killed her," he said bluntly.

"Please! Leave her alone! Leave my mother alone!" she cried. "I'll do anything!"

He laughed once more. "See? This is what I'm talking about! You care more for your pack than you do for yourself. I mention killing your Alpha's mate and you beg me to save their life. I threaten to kill two of the pack's puppies and you beg yet again. It's beautiful. It's nature. It's instinct."

"Let my sisters go," Tala begged. "Leave my mother alone. Leave my father alone. Just keep me."

"Self sacrifice! It's beautiful! So poetic!" He looked up at the ceiling as if thinking about something. "You know what? Let me go fetch something real quick!" He excitedly exited the room and returned with a tripod and video camera. "I'm going to shoot a little video for Mommy. I'm sure she'll love it. She deserves it more that Daddy. I feel like you would have more to say to her."

He turned the camera on and waved excitedly. "Hello Penelope! So, your beloved Tala had a few things to say to you," he said happily. He moved out of the way so Tala was visible to the camera. "Say something to your Mommy!" Tala remained completely silent and he slapped her across the face again. "I said say something!"

"Mom..." she whispered. "I'm so sorry..."

Keith kissed the top of her head. "Good girl," he said. Then he turned his attention back to the camera. "So Ms. Penelope - lovely name you have by the way - I've been getting to know your little wolf here and I thought you should know that she's told me a few little things. Like how she wouldn't mind if came to your house and blew your brains out."

Tala's eyes went wide and she looked at the camera in fright. "No!" she cried. "No, I would never say that! Mom, I know we've been fighting, but I would never want you dead! I love you!"

"She also said she hates you and thinks -"

"Don't listen to a word he's saying!" Tala screamed. "Mom! I'm so sorry and I don't deserve _you_! You're the most loving mother in the whole world!"

"Oh, time's up!" And then he went and turned the camera off.

Tears running down her cheeks, she spat, "Why would you do that? How could you say that?"

"All good fun," he laughed. Glancing at the watch on his wrist, he added, "And now it is time to take you back to your room. We've done enough for the day. Tomorrow we'll try different makeup trials and experiment with how to do your hair." He then began to uncuff her from the restraints holding her to the makeup chair. As he led her down the darkened corridor towards the garage again, she glanced around and looked for the nearest exit. Maybe if she learned the layout of the area she would be able to find a way to escape. But there was nothing.

She groaned internally. As they headed into the garage, he forced her to open the trapdoor again and shoved her in so that she tumbled down the stairs. Then the door slammed and was locked again.

"Tala!"

She looked up to see her sisters crowding around her and looking at her with anxious eyes. She sat up and pulled them both into a hug. "Tala, are you okay?" Soraya asked timidly.

Kissing the top of her baby sister's head, she nodded and held back her tears until her eyes burned. "I'm okay," she murmured.

XXXXX

_Day 2 of the Search_

Penelope's eyes fluttered open after a virtually sleepless night. She'd woken up twice to find Derek sitting over her with a concerned look on his face.

"_Penelope!" Derek cried, shaking her by the shoulders to wake her up. "Penelope, wake up!"_

_Sitting straight up, she rubbed her eyes and found that they were wet. "What happened?" she said with a voice that sounded like it had been trailed through a field of glass. "Why are you in here?"_

"_Ba -" He closed his eyes and stopped mid speech. "Penelope, you were crying in your sleep. You were saying Tala's name. I came to wake you up."_

_She began to weep again. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I just can't stand the thought of them being with that awful man! What if he's hurting them? What if -"_

_He cut her off and shook his head. "You'll drive yourself crazy making speculations," he whispered. "Go back to sleep..."_

"_Derek?" she asked timidly._

"_Yeah?"_

"_Will you...will you hold me until I fall asleep again?"_

_His answer came instantly. "Yes," he murmured._

Derek began to stir beside her, his arms still wrapped around her waist. He sat up immediately, not saying anything and checked the clock. It was seven in the morning. Neither of them had gotten much sleep. Picking up his phone, he looked to see if there were any messages; there were none.

Bad sign. It meant they hadn't found anything yet.

"We have to get back to the station," she said, rising from the bed. "We need to see if they've found anything."

Getting to his feet too, Derek nodded. "Let's go then," he whispered, praying they would make progress on finding their daughters.


	10. A Monster

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Here is chapter 10! Hope you enjoy and thank you for the generous reviews :) Also, I have a new story out that's AU and a retelling of Beauty and the Beast using Morgan and Garcia. Check it out if you haven't already!**

**P.S. - I have gotten a few requests to write a second epilogue to "Hate To Love You" in which Morgan and Garcia get married and the second baby mentioned in the first epilogue is born, so I will be working on that soon. Keep an eye on your inboxes!**

_Day 2 of the Search_

As Penelope was heading out the door with Derek directly behind her, she stepped on something that shouldn't have been on their welcome mat. She looked down to see what her foot had hit and picked it up. It was a DVD in a jewel case addressed to "Mommy."

"Derek?" she whispered holding out the jewel case for him to take. "What is this?"

"We have to get this to the precinct right now," he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her to the car. "I think the unsub just contacted us. Which is yet another change in MO."

XXXXX

"Hotch!"

Hotch and the rest of the team looked up from their work to see what Derek and Penelope were rushing towards them about. Penelope thrust something into his hands. It was a burned DVD with "Mommy" written on it. He looked back up at the two frazzled Morgans. "This was left for you?" he asked Penelope.

She nodded. "It was left on my porch," she said. "I want to watch it." Seeing their looks of skepticism, she shook her head. "I just want to see if my daughters are alive." She met her boss' eyes and held his gaze. There was no way she would break gaze with him. "Let me see the video," she said more firmly.

After another few moments, he nodded and said, "Okay. Let's get started it up." As they went into a conference room, Penelope slid her fingers through Derek's and looked up at him. He looked back at her, keeping his face neutral and squeezing her hand.

"Alright," Reid said. He looked behind him at Penelope, then at Hotch for confirmation on pressing the "play" button. Once he nodded, Reid grimaced, pressed the the button and the video filled the screen. Tala and a man with his face blurred out and fuzzy looking appeared. She was strapped into a chair and a sheet was

The unsub waved. "_Hello Penelope! So, your beloved Tala had a few things to say to you," _he said. Penelope felt the blood dissolve from her face and she covered her mouth with her hand. Derek pulled her closer. "_Say something to your Mommy!" _Tala's face remained stony and she kept her eyes trained down on her lap. Next to her, Penelope felt Derek tense up and his jaw clenched. "_I said say something!_" Then the unsub slapped Tala roughly across the face.

A cry escaped Penelope's mouth.

Finally Tala spoke. She looked up at the camera and it was clear there were tears in her eyes. "_Mom...I'm so sorry..."_ she murmured, almost inaudibly.

Penelope had to wipe the tears from her eyes and suck in a breath. She felt Derek's arm wrap around her, but she wasn't paying attention. All she saw was her daughter strapped to a chair while an unsub hit her. Her heart all about stopped. Tears were spilling out of her eyes like waterfalls. To make matters even worse, the unsub leaned down and kissed the top of Tala's head before saying, "_Good girl._"

The unsub's turned to face the camera again. "_So Ms. Penelope - lovely name by the way - I've been getting to know your little wolf here and I thought you should know that she told me a few things_. _Like how she wouldn't mind if I came to your house and blew your brains out._"

Immediately Tala started struggling in her restraints. "_No_! _No, I would never say that!_" She started to cry. "_Mom, I know we've been fighting, but I would never want you dead! I love you!"_

Penelope's heart began to break and another cry would have escaped her lips if she hadn't bitten down on her lip. A small amount of blood slipped down her chin. "My poor baby," she whispered hoarsely.

"_She also said she hates you and -_" the unsub started to say before Tala began screaming.

"_Don't listen to a word he says_!" Her face turned frantic. "_Mom! I'm so sorry and I don't deserve _you_! You're the most loving mother in the whole world!_"

"_Oh, time's up!"_

Then the camera turned black. Penelope bent her head to wipe her tears away. She looked over at Derek and saw that his eyes were closed as if to shield himself from the pain he was feeling. She opened her mouth to say more, but then the camera started playing once again with another message from the unsub.

"_This is a message for Penelope_," the unsub said, his face still blurred out. "_But this message is not from your little wolf. It comes directly from me. You harmed my family in a way that I can't forgive. So because you hurt my family, I will hurt yours. Be prepared for the worst murder I've ever committed. I will be more brutal on your little wolf and your precious angels than any of my other girls. And you will never, ever catch me."_

The camera went dark for good this time.

Everyone was silent afterwards and Penelope buried her head in Derek's shoulder, weeping silently. Hotch motioned for the rest of the team to leave the room to give them privacy. Derek held his wife tightly in his arms and murmured, "We'll find them. What he said helps the profile. The team will be able to find him."

"Is the profile all you care about?" she asked with tears still in her eyes.

"Stop it right now," he said sternly. "You know that's not true. Your grief is clouding your judgement."

Her lower lip trembled and she nodded. "You're right. I'm just upset. I'm sorry I said that to you."

He tilted her chin up and leaned his forehead against hers. "I'll always forgive you. And we'll have our children back soon."

XXXXX

Hotch led the team out of the room and they all circled up. "This definitely helped with the profile," he said. "Did you notice what he kept calling Tala?"

"Little wolf," Rossi said. "But that's what her name means. Penelope picked it because that's what it meant."

Reid scrunched his forehead. "Guys, he also said that Penelope hurt his family," he said. "What if he's trying to pit them against each other like two wolf packs?"

"If that's what he's doing, then there's more than one unsub," Hotch said. "And because there are personal reasons for taking the Morgan girls, the torture will be more severe. So far it looks like he's sticking to his original MO of making them up for the first few days anyway. She was in a room with a makeup table and her hair looked like it had just been brushed."

Reid cleared his throat and everyone looked at him. "Guys, we didn't see anything about Lindy and Soraya and he didn't say anything about them either," he said gravely.

Rossi shook his head. "I think they're alive," he said. "Tala would have looked more distraught if they weren't."

Hotch sighed and looked at JJ. "JJ, has Lynch called with any information on the plate?"

She shook her head. "I'll call him now," she said. "He should've called us back by now."

Hotch nodded. "Clock is ticking and if he doesn't find anything we'll be back at square one," he said grimly.

"What do we until then?" Blake asked.

"We look into anyone Penelope pissed off enough to take her children."

XXXXX

Keith showed up again around three in the afternoon to bring food to Lindy and Soraya and to take Tala back upstairs. She managed to scratch him across the face once, but he only knocked her out cold and she found herself waking up strapped to the chair again.

"Oh! Goody, you're awake!" he cried as her eyes fluttered open.

She glared at him. A vicious throbbing was going on behind her temples and she wished she could have had some Tylenol. "Yeah, I'm awake," she spat. "Of course I wouldn't have to be woken up if you hadn't knocked me out."

"Tut, tut," he said, wagging a finger in the air at her. "You scratched me across the face. What I did was self defense."

"Self defense my ass," she sneered. "You're the one who nabbed me and my sisters off the street."

He picked up a makeup brush and started swirling it around in an eyeshadow pallet. The brush came away silver. "I'm going to try a smoky eyes on you, little wolf," he said, ignoring her most recent comment.

"Stop calling me that!" she snapped.

Bringing the brush to her eye, he said, "Close your eyes. I need to put this on."

Putting her chin in the air, she kept her eyes open and stared him down. She received a smack. "You're awfully found of smacking me, aren't you?" she snickered, antagonizing him even further.

"That's not all I'm fond of," he said, touching her thigh.

A flash of anger and panic went through her and she did the only thing she could think of; she kicked out, landing her foot in his groin. He buckled over with the pain and Tala had to resist the urge to grin with triumph. Instead, she said, "Touch me again and I'll make sure to kick you twice as hard."

He looked up at her with fury in his eyes. Standing up straight, he snickered. "And the next time you try a stunt like that I'll go and make sure to smack your little sisters around. Maybe that little, little one. She looks like she would scream quite nicely."

Tala's eyes went wide and immediately she became passive.

He laughed again. "Oh, little wolf," he sighed. "You really are a pack animal. But what makes you so interesting is that you, despite the strong front you put up, you're actually the weakest of them all. You mouth off, but really you're just dead inside. Mommy and Daddy decide to split and you become angry with the world. You retreat within yourself, you feel like the world is crumbling around you. But I can't really blame you. When your pack falls apart it really is the worst thing in the world."

"Is that what happened to you?" she hissed. "Your family fell apart, so to make up for the emptiness you feel you go after other girls so that you can rip their families apart?"

His eyes flashed with anger and he leaned closer to her face. "You don't know anything about me or how my life has gone!" he roared.

"Oh, I do," she said. "You've become a monster. That's how your life has gone! That's who you are!"

He drew back from her face and punched her in the jaw. "I am not a monster!" he yelled. Tala didn't respond; she just glared at him. Slowly Keith closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before exhaling. When he opened his eyes again, it was almost as if he had put out a fire. He was calm again. He strode back towards her and put his index finger to her jaw that he'd just bruised. Sighing, he said, "We're going to have to use a lot of coverup and foundation to hide this. I'm thinking we'll do the smoky eyes and then a very muted lip color. How does that sound?"

Knowing she would just get hit again if she ignored his question, she said, "Fine."

"Good," he said. "You're learning to speak when spoken to. This is very good. Aside from your smart mouth that I just want to smack off your face, you're turning out to be one of my favorite girls of all time."

XXXXX

"Morgan, we haven't found anything yet," Blake said, coming into the conference room where Derek and Penelope had been sitting all day. "You should take Penelope home. There's nothing we can tell you yet."

Derek looked at his wife who had fallen asleep on the couch. She'd spoken very little since seeing the video the unsub made. Both of them were thinking about the girls and they had been so wrapped up in their own thoughts that they didn't bother speaking to the other about them. Returning his gaze to Blake, he said, "What did the video help add to the profile?"

Blake looked at him a long moment before speaking. "Right now the best thing for you to do is take your wife home," she said softly. "The profile can wait. It's already ten at night. You both need rest."

"It can't wait for me," Derek said firmly. He became desperate. "Please, Alex. Just tell me what has changed in the profile and I'll take Penelope home."

She sighed. "Alright," she said. "We think whoever this unsub is has a vendetta against Penelope and that they're using both their family and your family as wolf packs fighting with each other. He kept referring to Tala as 'little wolf' and kept talking about family loyalty."

Derek nodded tiredly, sorrow filling his gaze. Blake noticed everything about his body language. His eyes were dull and lifeless and had bags under them from lack of sleep. His face was starting to get a beard from days of not shaving. She put a hand on his arm. "Go home. Get some sleep and shave. We'll let you know if we find anything."

He nodded to her wordlessly and went to wake Penelope.


	11. A Family Again

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Criminal Minds :( Now the weeping begins.**

**Here's the eleventh one in this little story! Thank you much for the reviews...you're all very kind :) This one is out now and another "Beauty and the Morgan" is on the way!**

_Day 3 of the Search_

JJ came into the conference room with her cell phone and motioned for the team to listen in. She pulled it away from her ear and pressed the "speaker" button. "Everyone, Lynch is on the line," she said. "And he's got some news that we need to hear."

"Can everyone hear me?" Lynch asked.

"Everyone's here, Lynch," Hotch said. "What did you find? It took an awfully long time to find something for that license plate."

"See, the reason it took me so long was because the plate wasn't from South Carolina," he said. "So I thought I would try jumbling the letters and numbers to see if they formed anything for South Carolina. But then I thought, 'Hey! What if it was _North_ Carolina the tip meant?' And guess what?"

Blake nodded. "It's North Carolina where the plate was from," she said.

"Correct, Agent Blake," he said. "There were a few plates that matched it exactly in that sequence. I need more identifiable information to narrow things down."

"Lynch, what we need you to look for are families that had any contact with wolves," Hotch instructed. "Cross check for people who worked in zoos, at conservation parks, et cetera. As soon as you find people you think match, go through the video footage and see if any of the people match on the tapes."

"On it," Lynch said. "I'll get back to you soon."

XXXXX

Penelope woke up after another sleepless night in Derek's arms. She turned in his arms to face his still sleeping face. He looked so peaceful and so different when he had a face covered in stubble. Her fingers trailed up and stroked his face. She could hardly take her eyes off him. Tears filled her eyes and she felt the devastation of everything crash down on her. Her daughters, her distance from Derek. She felt tears slide down her face. As she lay in bed, her fingers started tracing patterns on the back of his neck. "I'm so sorry Derek," she murmured. "I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to hurt our daughters. I will do everything I can to get them back." Suddenly his eyes opened and she paused. "I'm sorry," she said, taking her arms from around him and moving away from him.

He shook his head, pulling her towards him again. "Don't be sorry," he whispered.

Penelope tensed in his arms, but eventually relaxed. "We need to get them back," she sniffled. "I can't stand not having them here with us. I want our babies back."

"I want them back too," he murmured.

"I can't stand even thinking about Tala strapped that chair," she cried. "And Lindy and Raya...what's happening to them? They're just little girls. I swear I didn't know I pissed anyone off enough to have them take them, but when I find them, I won't rest until I've destroyed them."

As Derek was looking at her, he saw the dangerous glint in her eyes and that she was serious. Placing his hand on her cheek, he shook his head. "That's not who you are, Penelope," he said. "You're a mother. You're gentle. You don't hurt people."

Her lower lip trembled. "But what if I'm not those things?" she whispered, terrified. "What if I'm really capable of things like hurting people? I would do anything for the girls...what if that -"

He put his finger to her lips. "Stop," he murmured. "I know you're not like that. I know _you_."

"I'm scared Derek," she whispered. "I'm so scared we're going to lose our girls." She paused. "The same way I lost you."

He shook his head. "You never lost me, Penelope," he whispered. "I've been waiting for you. I'll continue to wait for you as long as it takes. And if someone like Kyle makes you happy, then I'll back off."

Taking his hands, she kissed his palm. "He isn't," she said softly. Tears continued pouring down her cheeks.

"Who is?" he asked, a forlorn look in his eyes. "Because I'll -"

She didn't give him a chance to finish. She grabbed his face and kissed him softly. Though it wasn't an incredibly hungry kiss or passionate, there was more feeling and love in it than any kiss they had shared in all their years of dating and marriage. He was speechless afterwards.

"You are," she said fervently. "I want us to be a family again. It's all I want. If you will lessen your work, I'll let up. I can't stand being apart from you. Just like I can't stand being apart from our girls."

"And we'll have them back," he said confidently. "I'll find them no matter what. Even if I have to break the law."

XXXXX

So far it had been longer than the past two days since Keith had come to take Tala to his makeup studio. Maybe he was giving her the day off.

"How come he took us?" Lindy asked pulling her knees up to her chest while leaning against Tala. "Why would he want us?"

Tala kissed the top of her head. "He's a sick, evil man," she said.

"He's like Assef," Lindy grumbled.

Tilting an eyebrow up, she asked in confusion, "Who?"

"A character in _The Kite Runner _does...some really bad stuff," she said with a stony expression. "He's the epitome of evil. But he was fake. This man is real."

Tala nodded but didn't say anything. She just stared ahead into the darkness. Coming out of the small bathroom in the corner of the prison, Soraya came hurrying back to her sisters' sides and clung to Tala. "Tala," she whispered hoarsely. "Are we going to die? Is that mean man going to hurt us?"

Wrapping both her arms around her baby sister, Tala shushed Soraya. "No! I won't let him lay a finger on you.

"But how?" Soraya asked desperately. "You're not as big as Daddy and you don't have magic computers to work on like Mama."

"I will always keep you safe," Tala vowed. "And I'm going to find a way to get you out of here if it's the last thing I do."

Soraya's wide eyes looked up at her and she sighed. "I'm scared, Tala," she whispered. "I want Daddy and Mama. I miss them. Daddy would keep us safe. He's strong and would be able to beat up anyone who tried to hurt us."

"Dad's looking for us," Tala said firmly. "Him and Mom."

"Are they working together do you think?" Lindy asked unsteadily. "They've been so awful to each other that I don't know if they'll work together."

Tala was quiet for a long time after that. She was hoping Penelope and Derek were working together to find them. It would be hell in they didn't. But if they were, maybe there would be a chance of her family reuniting. The latter was the one she wanted. If there was one thing Keith was right about, it was that she loved her family more than herself. She would do just about anything to see them back together. Her mother and father had always been her foundations. Many teenagers were ready to run from their houses and get away from their families, but she loved her family. And while she did long for independence, she never wanted to lose contact with her family. For the umpteenth time since she had been imprisoned, she began to think about times from months ago.

"_Mom!" Tala cried, running into her house after she got home from school. "Mom, check this out!"_

_Penelope, who had been working from home that day, looked up from her laptop at the kitchen counter and smiled at her oldest daughter. "What's up, baby?" she said._

_Tala grinned and slapped an envelope down in front of her mother. "Check this out!"_

_Smiling, Penelope picked up the envelope. "Ooh! Your ACT scores are in!" she exclaimed, ripping the seal off the envelope. She raised a brow at her daughter and started humming a drum roll. She pulled the sheet of paper holding her daughter's scores on them. What she saw made her eyes go wide and her mouth drop open. She looked up at Tala. "Honey, this...this is a perfect score! You scored a perfect score on the ACT! And you're only sophomore!" She rose from her seat and pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "Baby, this is wonderful!"_

_Tala hugged her mother back tightly and said, "I know! I'm so excited! I can't wait to tell Dad! When is he getting back from the case?"_

"_He'll be home tonight," she said with a smile. "The case finished up just a few minutes ago. The team will be wheels up in twenty minutes." She kissed her daughter's forehead and added, "Oh, baby I'm so proud of you. And I know your father will be too. This is...it's fantastic."_

"_I learned from the best," Tala said with a grin._

_Later in the evening around seven in the evening, Derek walked in through the front door and called out, "Girls! I'm home!"_

_Immediately Soraya and Lindy came running towards him with grins on their faces and open arms. "Dad!" they cried simultaneously._

_He picked up Soraya first and kissed her head, then Lindy. "Hey girls," he said. "Where are your mom and Tala?"_

"_Mama and Tala are in the study," Soraya reported, saluting her father and pointing the direction of their designated study. "They said they had a surprise for you."_

_Derek frowned and kissed the tops of his daughters' heads again. He headed down the hallway towards his and Penelope's study and opened the door. "Knock, knock," he said, poking his head in before going in completely. Both his wife and eldest daughter were sitting behind the desk and oohing and ahhing at something on the desktop computer. When he entered the room, Tala jumped to her feet and grabbed a piece of paper from the desk and rushed towards him. She shoved the paper towards him._

"_Dad!" she yelled happily. "You need to see this!"_

"_Hug first, paper in a second," he said, opening his arms for her to come into them._

_Huffing, but smiling, she hugged him tightly, then shoved the paper towards him again. "Look at this!" she said._

_Derek smirked at his daughter and looked at the paper. His daughter's ACT scores. When he saw the bold __**36**__he grinned widely and pulled Tala into a bone crushing hug. "Tala, this is wonderful! Baby Doll, I'm so proud of you!" His eyes met Penelope's and she smiled and winked at him._

_They must have done something right._

"Tala?" Soraya asked, gently poking her sister in the arm. "Are you okay?"

Tala hadn't even realized that there were tears running down her cheeks. Her happy memories of her family and her parents were making her cry. She missed her family being whole that much. Snapping out of it, she looked at her sister and nodded. "Yeah," she murmured. "I'm okay. I just miss Mom and Dad."

"Really?" Lindy asked. "You really miss Mom?"

Tala nodded. "I really do," she murmured. "I miss Mom a lot. I feel terrible for how I treated her. The first thing I'm doing when we get home is giving her the biggest hug in the world."

Lindy smiled. "I know you would miss her at some point," she said. "You two are like best friends. You can barely go six minutes without talking. I'm surprised you lasted six months."

Tala felt tears filling her eyes again and she sniffled. "I love you guys," she murmured, pulling both of them close to her. "You know that right?" She looked from Lindy to Soraya.

"We know," Soraya said. "We love you too."

XXXXX

Keith groaned when his brother entered the makeup room and started in on him. "What the hell are we going to do with the two younger ones?" he stormed. "Have you even thought about that?"

Keith merely grunted.

"Well?" He groaned. "You know, I don't even know why I bothered taking pictures of them. It's not like you would have been interested in them anyway."

"You know? Taking them is good," Keith said, observing his pictures of his former girls. "It gets revenge on Penelope even better. We'll take everything from her. She'll regret ever dropping you for that brute Derek Morgan."

His brother paused for a moment and seemed to think about it. "You know," he began, "you're right. At first I thought them being in the way and having to take them was a problem. But you're right. It takes a greater toll on her happiness. You're actually did do something right."

Keith frowned. "Humph," he said. "I guess I did."

**In chapter 12 the unsub will be revealed :) I'm also coming out with another Beauty and the Morgan soon.**


	12. The Final Preparations

**Disclaimer: This show isn't mine :( It is however my playground when it comes to writing :)**

**I apologize for the delay on this story...this is the one where everyone discovers who the unsub is...but in different ways! I've been super busy, but I'm getting this one done right now! I hope you all enjoy :) Thank you for the kind reviews and I hope this one is alright with you!**

_Day 4 of the Search_

"I'm going to run and get us some coffee," Derek said after he and Penelope had gotten up from their bed. The team had been up in shifts the night before so they could get a few hours of sleep after all being up for seventy two hours. There was nothing for them to report yet. "Hotch and Blake both texted me saying not to come in until later."

Penelope nodded blankly and murmured, "Okay."

He looked at her concerned. She hadn't eaten since their daughters had been taken and he planned on bringing her a bagel or two as well. "Penelope," he murmured, striding closer to her. He put a hand on her cheek and looked into her blank, lifeless eyes. All her sparkle was gone. They had to get their daughters back or Penelope was going to wither away to nothing. "Are you going to be okay staying her by yourself? You could come with me -"

She shook her head and said, "No. While you're gone, I'm going to get a shower. Please call me if you hear anything." Tears filled her eyes and her lower lips trembled. "Please."

Her eyes were begging and his heart started to ache all over again. The urge to stay with her and forget about the coffee struck him again and he wrapped her in his arms. He inhaled the sweet scent of her and whispered, "You know, maybe I don't need any coffee. I'll just stay with you until the team calls and we can get coffee at the station."

Looking back up at him, she murmured, "No. Go get coffee. I'll be okay. I'm just going to get cleaned up." She leaned up and kissed him gently. "I'll see you when you get back." As she looked into his eyes, she saw his love and his desire to keep her safe and sane. "It's okay. I'll be fine."

Hesitantly he nodded and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "If you need me," he whispered, "just call." She nodded as he touched her cheek once more and headed out the door. The sound of their SUV starting outside in the driveway made her feel more alone than she ever had in her life. When the sound of the engine had disappeared, she rubbed her forehead and went to get in the shower.

The feel of the scalding hot water against her skin felt like searing needles all over her body. She went through all the motions of what regular human beings did in the shower, but it was as if she were a robot. She didn't know what she was doing, everything was automatic. Her thoughts were just melding together to form a mixture of her children. She couldn't stop the tears and heaving, wrenching sobs from escaping her throat. Leaning against the wall of her shower, she slid down to the floor and wept as the water sprayed down on her. Her emotions were spiraling out of control. She almost wished she hadn't told Derek to leave. Only his comforting arms would make her tears stop. At least with him around she would feel empty with a pair of comforting arms around her.

After her eyes had dried up, Penelope turned off the water and toweled herself dry. As she was putting on jeans and a tank top, the doorbell rang and she groaned. She was not in the mood for visitors. Making her way down the stairs, Penelope opened the door without bothering to look through the peephole. Her eyes went wide when she saw who it was. "Kyle?" she said in confusion.

Her ex-boyfriend smiled and nodded. "Hey Babe," he said.

She shook her head. "Kyle," she muttered. "I told you that I didn't want you coming here. Please. Just leave."

Kyle shook his head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you, Babe," he said sincerely. "But listen, I came by to tell you that I heard about your kids. Everyone's talking about it around the high school. I wanted to drop by." His face was clearly sympathetic.

Penelope's eyes filled with tears again. "I appreciate you coming by," she managed to choke out. "But Derek will be back any minute and I think you should go."

For a moment a glint flashed through Kyle's eyes, but it was gone in a second. He nodded. "Here, let me give you a hug," he said softly, coming forward to envelope her in his arms.

"No, Kyle," she protested. "Don't -"

"Oh, come on, Babe," he said, holding her tighter than she wanted. "Just one little hug."

She fought against his hold. "Kyle, I said don't!" she yelled.

His face turned vicious and he grabbed her by the back of the neck. "And I said, let me hug you!" She struggled to break away, but he only tightened his hold on her. "Here you go, Babe," he murmured. "I'll make you happy again." Then he grabbed her by the hair and slammed the side of her head into the doorframe. Her vision went blurry and she groaned. "I've got you, Babe," Kyle's voice continued as he dragged her sagging body through the door frame and down the porch.

"Let me go," she mumbled drunkenly. Her head was pounding in her skull from the knock she'd taken to it. The world around her was spinning and when she looked up through the trees her vision went white from the sunlight streaming through the branches. "Let go of me..." She would have screamed, but she couldn't find her voice.

He chuckled as he shoved her towards his car. "Oh, Penelope," he said. Don't you worry. I'm about to make you the happiest woman in the world. Just you wait and see."

XXXXX

Tala was dragged away from her sisters yet again the next day and to the makeup room that she'd grown to hate so much. Keith grabbed her by the back of the neck while her sisters slept and so she wouldn't wake them she went quietly. Wordlessly he shoved her up the stairs and through the doors.

Once she was strapped in, he asked, "Did you enjoy your day of beauty rest?"

She snorted. "It was fine," she muttered.

"Good," he said, starting up the curling iron. "Because today is your very last quiet day."

"Good to know you're giving me warning before you kill me," she said. Her eyes flashed up to his in the mirror and she smirked. "Unless my parents find you first."

He stopped and stared at her a moment before smiling. "I think you'll find that your parents won't have to find me. I think we'll find them first."

"Who's the 'we' you're talking about?" she snapped. "I thought there was just one of you."

"That's where you're wrong, sweetie," he said, continuing the curling of her hair. "The last one of my pack is helping me. The only family member of mine who hasn't forsaken me. He's always been here for me. Always. So if someone hurts him, I hurt them back."

"I don't think I've ever pissed someone off so bad that they would take me and my sisters hostage," she muttered. Observing the way he was curling her hair, she added, "You know? My hair looks much better when it's straightened. Curling it is a big mistake."

He shook his head and picked up another lock of her hair to put in the curling iron. "No, no," he said. "The goal is to make you look just like your sweet, sweet mommy. Who love so much. I hear she cried when she watched the little video I made." He paused to laugh. "Ah, I'm just messing with you. I don't know if she ever actually cried. But I mean, who wouldn't? You were so heartbreaking. I'm sure even Daddy must have cried."

Tala froze. She began to feel a sickening pool grow in her stomach. "This doesn't have anything to do with me...does it?" Keith didn't speak and the feeling in her stomach grew worse and worse. "This has to do with my mother. This is all to torture my mother. That's all you care about. Hurting her."

"Ding, ding!" Keith said, raising the curling iron in the air and grinning wickedly.

"Just leave her alone," Tala begged softly. "I'm sorry for whatever she did to you, but she would never want to hurt someone intentionally. She's the sweetest, kindest person in the world. She would never hurt someone...she _could_ never hurt someone!"

"Humph," he laughed. "She hurt your father, didn't she?" he laughed. "Kicked him out of the house, made him watch as she dated Kyle, forced you and your sisters to move between him and her."

She paused.

He'd called Kyle by name.

"It's Kyle," she whispered hoarsely. "That's who your family is. He's who my mother 'wronged,' isn't he? She broke up with him."

Keith put the curling iron down and pressed the "off" button. He picked up a can of hairspray and spritzed it on every inch of her hair. "This looks great," he said, ignoring her comments about Kyle. "See?" He gestured to her hair. "Your hair curled looks beautiful! How can you say it looks better straightened? There's no way it looks better."

"What is Kyle going to do to my mother?" she asked frantically.

As he was picking up a makeup brush, he finally answered her regarding Kyle. "My brother is going to bring your mommy dearest here for one last visit," he explained. "Then I'm going to let him watch as I do my finest piece of work. He'll get to watch her watch _me_ kill each and every last one of her babies. I've finally decided what I'm going to do with your baby sisters. I'm giving them the same treatment I've given all my girls." He gestured towards his wall of pictures containing the mauled girls. "I'll give them the same makeup and hair styling. And then I'll hurt them in every way I've hurt the others. But obviously I'm going to start with you, little wolf."

XXXXX

The moment Derek returned home to find Penelope gone and a small trace of blood on the open doorframe he rushed immediately to the precinct and found his team. He ran into the conference and shouted frantically, "Penelope's missing! I think the unsub took her from the house!"

JJ's face paled and she looked at the rest of the team. "Guys, we need to call Lynch and find out immediately what else he's found," she said.

Derek sank into a chair and put his head in his hands, unable to think of anything but his wife and daughters. They had all been taken, every last one of them. His world had collapsed in on him and he couldn't stop himself from the wave of pain that assaulted him. He had no idea what he was going to do. The only thought filling his head was killing the man who'd taken them. His head was consumed with the idea of pounding the unsub's skull into the ground. Shooting him with a gun wouldn't be enough to satisfy her bloodlust.

He wanted him to suffer.

He didn't notice as Hotch pulled Lynch up on the speaker phone. "Lynch?" Blake said. "We're all here. We need to know immediately if you have anything on the license plate. The unsub took Penelope now. Time is of the essence."

"I was just about to call you," Lynch said. "I did find something on the plate. It belongs to a man named Kyle Roberts."

Derek's head snapped up and his teeth ground together angrily. "That _bastard_!"

"He fits what you were asking about, with the wolf thing," Kevin said. "His family owned a conservation in South Carolina for wolves. However, it was closed down after some family problems and they went bankrupt. Kyle and his brother Keith then just disappeared off the map."

Reid raised a finger in the air. "Alright," he said. "Who is Kyle? Why have none of us with the exception of Derek, and by the looks of it, JJ heard about him?"

"That's the man who Penelope was dating," JJ said quietly. The team was confused as they saw the rage unfold on Derek's face and the paleness take over JJ's. She looked up at the team. "I was the only one who she told. They broke up just a few days ago, right on the day we left for the case."

"And now he's gone after Penelope and the girls," Derek growled. Rising from the ground, he hollered into the phone, "Lynch! Is there an address on Kyle?"

Lynch's voice crackled over the phone. "Okay," he said. "I'm not seeing one on him. I'm going to look through rental records around the DC area where the girls were taken from and see if I can find anything there." He paused momentarily before adding, "And Agent Morgan?"

"What?" Derek ground out.

"I promise you I'll find that address quickly."


	13. Penelope and Tala Reunited

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Thank you for your reviews on this story! We've got some action in this one and I hope you will enjoy it :) Also, "Beauty and the Morgan" is in full swing as well, so I hope you will check that one out as well!**

Penelope's eyes fluttered open and she found she was in a vaguely familiar car that was parked in a dark and dank garage. It looked like she was in an old factory building. Her head was pounding viciously, and when she tried to reach her hands up, she found that her hands were bound tightly with linen cloths. Her ankles were also tied together. She glanced out the window of the parked car and saw Kyle. He looked down at her and smiled widely like nothing was wrong.

"Oh, you're awake!" he chirped, opening the door to the car. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he dragged her out of the car and threw her down on the ground. Her head hit the floor hard and she gritted her teeth to keep from groaning.

When she was finally able to sit up, she glared at Kyle. "It was you," she said hoarsely. "You took my daughters. You kidnap, rape, and kill girls."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong," he corrected, starting to circle around her. "While I did help _acquire_ your lovely daughters, I do not 'kidnap, rape, and kill girls,' as you put it. That's my brother. And he sure loves your Tala. She's such a screamer. And any time he tries to go near Lindy or that little, itty bitty Soraya she _fights_! That's really quite funny. You should see the look on his face when she screams! He is positively delighted hearing that."

A shiver of fear raced up Penelope's spine. Her mind shot to Tala and tears came to her eyes at the thought of her daughter struggling to keep Lindy and Soraya safe. "You son a bitch," she hissed. "You lied to me. You took my daughters!"

"Yeah," he said, leaning against his car's hood. "I did. But you know what? I still think I'm better for you than that brute you're married to. He's too quiet, too gruff." He bit his lip and paused before adding, "Oh! I forgot! He's the father of your children...he's ten times the man I am! Those are the exact words you told me. That hurts, Penelope. That really hurts."

She tried to stand up, but she failed miserably and fell hard against the ground. "I don't care if it hurts you," she snapped. "I break up with you and you decide to take my daughters? Grow up. Get a real problem!"

He snickered. "You are a real problem, Penelope," he tutted. His face and voice exuded smugness. "That and your daughters were always a target. Well, Tala was. Lindy and the small one just came into the picture on a snap decision."

"Take it out on me," she begged. "My daughters didn't do anything to you!"

Kyle shot her a look. "Teenage girls - while they do happen to be my brother's type - are not what I'm interested in. I'm interested in _you_. You and your pain." He moved from his position on the hood of his car and leaned down next to her, tapping her nose. "And let' snot forget your body. Let's be honest...you have got it going _on_! Makes me so depressed sometimes that you never let me fuck you. You never even let me get past second base. Come _on_! I know I'm an attractive guy. Is Derek that good in bed that you can't stand the thought of sleeping with anyone else?" He paused to tilt his head to the side and observe her from a different angle. "What is it about me that so repulses you?"

"Everything," she ground out angrily.

Instead of a laugh or a joke or a snicker, he kicked her swiftly in the stomach and she cried out in pain. He sighed. "Alright, Babe," he said. "I can't keep you right now. Today is the final day before Keith does his thing. I'll get to have a little fun with you tomorrow." The way he said the word "fun" caused her blood to freeze. She watched as Kyle started to slide an old dusty rug out of the way to reveal a basement door in the floor. He opened the heavy door and pointed into the pitch dark basement.

"Hope you enjoy your stay...however short it may be," he said wickedly, grabbing her roughly and pushing her down the stairs and slamming the door behind her.

As she bumped down the stairs and landed at the bottom, she heard a lock slide into place and the rug get pushed back into place. She sat up and grumbled, wondering if she would be able to find a way to break out of her bonds. Her glasses had fallen off of her face and she wasn't able to see where they had disappeared. Looking around in the basement, she squinted to try and make out any shape or form. It was completely and utterly dark.

"Damn," she cursed.

"_Mom_?" a short gasp sounded.

Penelope's head jerked in the direction of her daughter's voice and she cried, "Lindy? Lindy, is that you?"

Suddenly she was tackled by two pairs of lithe arms. Her eyes flooded with tears as Lindy and Soraya happily hugged her. "Mama, why aren't you hugging us back?" Soraya asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Honey, my hands are tied up and I can't find my glasses," she explained shakily. "Lindy, can you -" She didn't have a chance to finish; Lindy was already hard at work on getting her mother's bonds untied.

"And here are your glasses," Lindy added, using her hands to feel for Penelope's face and put the glasses on for her. As soon as her arms were free, she yanked her clumsily put-on ankle bonds and pulled her daughters into her arms, the tears finally streaming down her cheeks.

With a sob, she said, "I love you both so much." She kissed the tops of their heads. "You know that, right?"

"We love you too, Mama," Soraya murmured against her mother's chest. "Mama, Tala told us she loves you too. I even asked her about it. Well, Lindy asked her about it and -"

Penelope put a finger to her youngest daughter's lips. "Baby, slow down," she said. "Where did they take Tala? Where is she?"

Lindy and Soraya cuddled into Penelope and she rocked them in her arms. "He took her away a few hours ago," Lindy explained, keeping her arms around Penelope's waist. "He left her down here yesterday, but he took her the first and second day." She paused. "He just takes Tala. He brought us some food a little while ago."

Forcing herself to breathe in and out deeply, Penelope held Lindy and Soraya tightly. She kissed them both on the tops of their heads. As she rocked her younger daughters in her arms, Soraya spoke up. "Mom, when is Daddy going to come find us? He's a superhero. He can save us."

Derek's face flashed through her mind and she closed her eyes, squeezing Lindy and Soraya tightly. "Daddy's looking for us," she promised, knowing that her words were without a doubt true.

XXXXX

Tala was exhausted from sitting in the chair since dawn and when Keith dragged her into the garage again, there was another car. Kyle's car. A fierce anger raced through her, but she continued on towards the stairs where she would descend to the basement where her sisters were. Keith was forcing her to walk carefully because after their most recent makeup and hair meeting he had forced her to keep the hairdo and silver makeup.

"Sleep tight, little wolf," he said with a cackle as he watched her walk down the stairs. "It's the last night of sleep you'll get."

She didn't respond. She just glared at him and watched as the light disappeared with the slamming of the door. She didn't even care anymore. Keith didn't deserve a response. It required too much energy.

Once the door was closed and locked again, she gripped the railing of the stairs and called, "Lindy? Raya? I'm back!"

"Tala!"

Tala's gut dropped and she rushed forward, falling to her knees as she tripped over something..._someone_. Grasping around wildly, her fingers rammed into a pair of glasses and a soft cry escaped her throat. "Mom?" Blindly she threw her arms around the person in front of her. She buried her face against her mother's neck and inhaled the familiar scent of her. As soon as the smell of Penelope's shampoo registered with her, every tear she had been holding in was let loose. Her shield had well and truly crumbled, nothing but a pile of dust.

Penelope held her sobbing daughter in a suffocating grip, wanting to protect her from everything that she'd been fighting the last four days and, to a certain extent, the last few months. "I've got you," she whispered against Tala's hair. "It's okay."

"I - I'm s-so s - sorry," she wept. She hadn't thought she would see her mother again for the past twenty four hours and all at once she felt like a failure. A failure for not being able to take care of her sisters and keep them safe. "I -"

"Shh," Penelope murmured, stroking her hair back. "It's okay, Baby."

Though she couldn't see her, Tala pulled back as if to look at Penelope and began babbling. "I'm so sorry I didn't keep Lindy and Raya safe and I'm sorry I blamed you for what happened with Dad and -" Her incoherent ramblings became uncontrollable weeping.

"Tala," she whispered brokenly. "It's okay. Baby, you kept your sisters safe. You're so brave. I'm so, so proud of you! Do you hear me?" She sniffled and rubbed Tala's back, her own emotions starting to take over. Seeing that her daughter was still crying without abandon, she added compassionately, "You are so strong, Baby Doll."

"But the way I treated you!" she cried. "That's not strong, that's cruel! I'm not ashamed to be your daughter...I'm _proud_ to be your daughter! You should be ashamed of me!"

"Baby, you were right," she murmured. "You showed me that I had to look at myself again and realize that I was an idiot when it came to your father. Don't you ever think I am ashamed of you. You and your sisters and your father are the best things that have ever happened to me. I love you, Tala. Never forget that."

She sniffled and buried her face against her Penelope again, wanting nothing more than to atone for every word she had spoken to her mother in the last six months. "I love you, too, Mom."

A yawn sounded next to them, breaking the moment briefly. "Mama? Is Tala back?" Soraya asked. Two small hands reached out and touched Tala's back.

"I'm right here, Raya," she sniffed. She opened her arms to include her baby sister in the group hug.

"Me too!" Lindy cried, throwing herself into the hug. "I want to join the group hug!"

Penelope held all three of her daughters in her arms and kissed each and every one of her girls, the only thing that could make the moment better being Derek. "I love you, girls," she whispered, scared to death that she had no idea if this was the last night she would be able to spend with them.

XXXXX

_Day 5 of the Search_

"Lynch needs to call us soon," Derek ground out, his patience growing thinner by the second. Already time had bulleted on to midnight of the fifth day, Penelope was still gone, and they were no closer to finding Kyle's location than they were at the beginning of the day. Derek was nothing but a bundle of frazzled nerves. His whole family was gone and he had no clue where to find any of them. "He hasn't called us in hours!"

Hotch put a hand on his shoulder. "Morgan, you need to stay quiet. Lynch has to look through thousands of records. We didn't have much for him to go off of. At this point there's nothing we can do unless we get a -"

Suddenly the phone rang, making everyone jump.

Blake slammed her finger down on the phone's speaker button. "Lynch?" she demanded. "We've been waiting all day for this! Tell us you have something!"

"Agents, I think I found them."


	14. A Family Reunion

**Disclaimer: I only use Criminal Minds as a writing playground. I own nothing.**

**So here's Chapter 14! We have a little bit of an emotional ride in for this one. I want to thank those who have read, reviewed, or both :) I appreciate it very much! Enjoy this one and keep your eyes open for the next one of this story and for **_**Beauty and the Morgan**_**.**

_Day 5 of the Search_

"Okay, so what I thought was that based on your profile, Roberts would need to be in the DC area to be close by. So then I checked out large enough areas that no one would hear screaming. There were a lot of areas for rent, but I eventually found one that was rented out two months ago to a Keith Roberts," Lynch explained to the room of tense agents and police officers. "It's an old factory building. I'm sending the address to you all on your tablets."

Hotch nodded decisively. "Thank you, Lynch," he said. He clicked the phone off and turned to the rest of the room. "Alright," he instructed. "We're going to need SWAT on this one. Chief, I need you to get the calvary rounded up and have them ready to go as soon as possible. We're going to have to get going." He turned to his team. "Help them get things squared away." As the team was getting ready to spring into action, Hotch pulled Derek aside by the arm.

Derek glared at him. "What, Hotch?" he growled impatiently. "Do not tell me I can't go. I'm going, whether you like it or not."

He shook his head. "I was going to tell you that you needed to wait until we're ready. You will do this by the book."

Derek nodded. "I know," he said softly. "I'll do whatever you say. You're the lead on this."

Hotch nodded. "Good."

XXXXX

Penelope was sitting in the dark basement, her back against the wall with her daughters all leaning against her. She had lost track of time. Lindy and Soraya had fallen asleep once again and Tala was the only one left awake.

"I really am sorry, Mom," she whispered. Her head was leaning against Penelope's shoulder. The occasional sniffle escaped from her nose. "I didn't mean anything that I said to you. I was just angry about you and Dad and how everything was going. I couldn't stand that you two had broken up and -"

"Shh," Penelope said, stroking Tala's hair. The hairdo that Keith had set her up in was now rumpled and disheveled. "Baby, don't worry about your father and me. We realized that we work better together than apart. I can't live without him. We just...lost our way."

"Does this mean you're getting back together?" she asked, hope lighting up her voice.

Penelope sighed and murmured, "Yes."

But at that point she didn't know if they would make it past the next few days. It was now the fifth day of Tala, Lindy, and Soraya's capture. The day when Keith was supposed to begin the torture. She didn't know if Derek and the team knew anything about Kyle or his brother yet. If they didn't, they were likely as good as dead.

"I knew you two still loved each other," Tala said, more like a confirmation to herself that she was right. She snuggled in closer to her mother and sisters.

They were going to be a family again.

"I love you, Mom," she whispered.

"I love you, too, Tala."

As they remained in the darkness, the sound of footsteps from above came from above and panic built in Penelope's heart. It grew worse as the sound of the lock being opened came. Her arms around her daughters grew tighter and the hairs on the back of her neck raised. The door started to open and suddenly the basement was filled with light. Penelope held the girls tightly to her and whispered to Tala, "Whatever happens, I love you and your sisters more than anyone in the world. Tell your father that I love him."

Tala was finally able to see Penelope for the first time since being locked up. She looked into her mother's eyes and saw true fear. Her lower lip trembled and she moved a lock of Tala's dark hair from her face. Keith and Kyle started down the stairs and both held guns in their hands. "Mom..." Tala said softly, fear filling her own heart.

"Rise and shine!" Kyle said, leaning down to grab Penelope's hair at the scalp. He yanked her head up and she winced.

"Let her go!" Tala screamed, jumping to her feet and launching herself at Kyle. Both her younger sisters sat straight up at the sound of Tala's scream and shrank backwards against the wall. She tackled Kyle to the ground and raked her nails across his face, blinded by rage. "Keep your filthy hands off of her!" She punched Kyle this time, hoping she would make him hurt.

Snickering, Kyle kicked forward and sent Tala flying backwards. He rose from the ground and wiped his bloody nose. Standing over her, he kicked her sharply in the side. "You like pain, don't you?" he hissed between gritted teeth. He kicked her again.

A cry escaped Tala's lips and she tried to sit up and attack him again.

Penelope rose to her knees and cried, "No! Stop!" She tried rising to her feet, but Keith went forward and placed the gun at her temple.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said. "Your little wolf needs a little training. And Kyle gets to have a little fun. He was always so good at training. It was what his specialty."

Tears rolled down Penelope's cheeks and she begged. "Please...let my daughters go! I'll do anything!"

"Hmm...no," he said. "I value them too much. Particularly Tala. Did you know what you named her that her name meant 'Wolf?'"

"Just let them go! Please!" Her voice had turned to weeping. She looked up into Keith's cold eyes. "I'll do anything, whatever you want!"

He laughed. "No," he said. "There's nothing I want more than your daughter. And there's nothing more that my brother wants, than you. This is going to be a mighty fun day, don't you think?" He looked up at his brother who was still mercilessly jeering at Tala. "Kyle...give me the girl. She's mine, after all. You get the mommy...remember?"

Kyle stopped kicking Tala and nodded. "Oh," he said. "You're right. I forgot about that. Just had to cool a little steam off. This little _bitch_ has caused me a lot of problems." He laughed as he switched places with his brother. "Sometimes, I blame it on her that I never got with Penelope."

"Blame it on yourself, you pig," Tala spat.

Keith moved to stand over Tala and he looked down at her, flat on her back and breathing with difficulty. He smiled. "You're going to be my favorite," he whispered, almost lovingly. Grabbing her by the arm, he pulled her to her feet. He pushed her towards the stairs. "We're making a journey upstairs. I suggest you walk quickly."

"And if I decide to drag my feet?" she asked, sticking her chin in the air.

"Then I blow your mother's brains out," Kyle said from behind her. Tala whirled around and saw Penelope on her knees, a gun at her temple. Behind her were Lindy and Soraya, huddled together and holding each other tightly. Her gut dropped and she nodded.

"I'll do it," she whispered, starting for the stairs, a gun touching the skin of her neck.

"Good dog," Kyle said with a smirk. He grabbed Penelope by the back of the neck and forced her to rise to her feet. "Let's go, Babe," he said. "Tell your little girls that they need to come or I shoot their mommy in the head."

Penelope looked at Lindy and Soraya's petrified faces and said in a shaking voice, "Girls, go upstairs, okay? Lindy, keep watch over your sister." She nodded and bit her lip. "Go, okay?"

Lindy nodded and wrapped her arms around Soraya, urging her to walk towards the stairwell.

"Why can't all your daughters be like them? Why can't they all be good listeners?" Kyle asked with a snicker as they all ascended the stairs into the brightly lit garage. The room was now completely empty, save for a simple wooden table.

Keith pushed Tala forward and she fell to her knees on the concrete ground. She looked up and glared at him. He went towards her and picked up a knife that looked like it would slit through bone. "You see this?" he asked, brandishing the knife in front of her. "This is a sharp little knife. And it cuts through skin like _butter_. It's really quite beautiful." He grabbed Tala by the hair again and yanked her forward. Using the knife, he slashed the blade across her cheek, a deep red gash blossoming across her face. Several trails of blood slid down her face. Tala didn't even flinch.

"Stop!" Penelope cried. "Please!"

Kyle grabbed her by the neck and hissed in her ear, "This is only the beginning, Babe. The show gets better and continues for two whole days. So, you just have to sit back and -"

Before he could continue, the sound of the side door being kicked open shocked him out of his speech. A horde of SWAT agents came in through the small door, followed by Rossi, JJ, and Derek.

"Drop the gun, Kyle!" Derek bellowed, keeping Kyle in his range. "It's over, the building is surrounded. There's no chance you're getting out of this."

Kyle snorted, keeping his gun securely at Penelope's temple. "Hmm," he pondered. "That so?"

"That is very so," JJ said. "Put the gun and knife down and we won't have any more trouble."

Penelope's eyes flicked to Keith and Tala. Keith's arm was wrapped around Tala's neck and he was squeezing it so hard that her face was growing red. A panicked whimper escaped her throat and Keith noticed. He laughed. "Pfft," he said. "This really is an adorable family reunion."

"Let my daughter go, Roberts," Derek said through gritted teeth, aiming his gun at Keith now. He was seething with rage. His eyes were burning with barely controlled anger.

Keith snickered, but loosened his grip on Tala and let her fall to the floor in front of him on her hands and knees. She coughed several times and looked up at her father, waiting for some form of nonverbal instruction on what to do. "Looking to your Alpha for what to do, I see," he laughed wickedly. "Scat!" He kicked her roughly in the side and she crawled towards her father, JJ, and Rossi.

"Lindy, Soraya," Kyle said, looking at the two younger girls who were still huddling together near their mother. "You can go with her. But Mommy has to stay with me for just a little while longer." He pushed his gun against her temple harder. "It's her who really matters here."

Both Lindy and Soraya hurried towards JJ and Tala. JJ started to usher the three girls towards the door and tried to get them to leave. Lindy and Soraya were hustled out rather quickly, but Tala tried to stay. "No!" she cried as JJ dragged her from the garage. "No, what about my mom? Let me go, Aunt JJ!" Her eyes met Penelope's and she tried to break out of JJ's iron grip.

Penelope felt tears roll down her cheeks and tried to tell Tala with her eyes that it would be okay. She was truly terrified at that moment. Was this the last moment she would see her daughters? Was it the last moment she would see Derek? She looked in her husband's dark eyes and prayed he saw how much she was sorry for everything that had happened between them. Her eyes filled with more fat tears and she held her head higher.

"Let Penelope go," Derek growled.

"Or you'll what?" Kyle snapped back.

"I'll shoot you," he hissed.

Kyle snickered and suddenly moved his gun from Penelope's temple to point it at Derek. He glared at him. "What is it that makes you so irresistible, Agent Morgan? I just don't see it. What makes you so special to her?"

"I love her, you son of a bitch," Derek snarled. "That's what makes me special."

Another laugh escaped his throat. "Well, maybe I should just kill you," he suggested. "That would be an experience. Then she'd have to get used to someone that isn't you." And before anyone could say anything else, Kyle pulled the trigger on his gun.

"No!" Penelope screamed, leaping to her feet to stop the bullet from sailing straight into Derek.

**Sorry 'bout the cliffhanger...**


	15. Save Her

**Disclaimer: Not a thing belongs to me.**

**I apologize greatly for the cliffhanger at the end of the last one! I kind of love/hate doing it at the same time. I feel as though they are one of a writer's many tools to creating a good story. And since this isn't a hard copy book, you guys can't flip ahead or continue on immediately. In some ways, that's a thing Fanfiction has over actual hard copy books: the ability to make people squirm! But to make you feel better, here's the next one :) I sincerely hope you enjoy and as always: PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

**PS -**

**This is another bit of emotional turmoil. Sorry for that in advance.**

Derek's eyes went wide and his stomach dropped as he heard the sound of the gunshot and saw Penelope jump in front of the bullet meant for him. He dove forward and caught his wife before she hit the ground and put pressure on her bullet wound that was centered on her shoulder right above her heart.

The sound of more gunfire could be heard and Kyle fell to the ground, a smile on his face as his lifeless body with a bullet hole in his forehead hit the concrete.

With her blood seeping through his fingers, Derek began to shout. "I need an EMT in here immediately!" he yelled at no one in particular. He looked back down at Penelope who was in his arms and he couldn't stop his tears from falling. "No, no! Penelope, you need to stay with me!" he cried. "Baby Girl, stay awake!"

She coughed several times, blood splattering the corners of her mouth. "I'm s - sorry, Derek," she said hoarsely.

"No! You don't have to be sorry about anything," he said fiercely, keeping pressure on the bleeding hole in her shoulder. "You're going to be okay, Baby Girl. Don't you dare close your eyes."

A ghostly smile covered her face. "I missed you calling me _Baby Girl_," she said, her eyes fluttering some. Tears filled her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Derek. I should never have told you to leave. I want you to come home. I love you."

He increased the pressure on her bullet wound. Looking up, he shouted with a crazed look on his face, "Where the hell are the medics?"

"They're on their way," Hotch said, handcuffing Keith Roberts.

Derek looked back down at Penelope again and murmured, "The medics are coming. You're going to be okay, Penelope. I love you too. We're going to get you better and I'm going to take care of you. I will never leave you again, no matter how angry we get with one."

"I love you," she repeated, more blood trickling from her mouth. Her eyes started closing.

Derek couldn't stop himself from crying. The tears were coming in thick, heaving waves now. "Please," he whispered to Penelope's now still form.

"Morgan, the paramedics are here," JJ said from behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "They need you out of the way."

Derek didn't look up; he merely let the EMTs take over putting pressure on his wife's wounds. "She's bleeding into her lungs," one of them said, putting the stethoscope to her chest. "We need to get her moving now!"

All he could do was watch in horror as they began the process of putting Penelope on a stretcher. Rossi came up behind him and put a hand on his arm. "Derek, Soraya is asking for you. Why don't you ride with the girls on the way to the hospital? They'll be able to update you on more when you get there and they get her into surgery."

Derek looked at Rossi with a look in his eyes that none of his teammates had ever seen. Pure grief. He wouldn't have looked any worse if Penelope was dead. "Guys, I can't lose her. I won't make it if I do."

"You're not going to lose her," Blake said firmly, tears burning at the back of her eyes. "No one is dying to day. Except Kyle. And he's already dead. She won't die." She almost didn't know if she was saying it for only Morgan, or if she was saying it for herself and the rest of the team as well. "Now you need to go be with your daughters. They need you just as much as Penelope, but right now you can do something to help them."

He shook his head. "What am I supposed to tell them?" he asked. His eyes were completely bloodshot and his face had aged ten years. "How can I tell them that their mother is -" He choked on the words. He couldn't even say it.

"You just be there for them," JJ said gently, taking him by the hand and leading him out of the garage towards the SUVs. Tala was weeping into her knees, Lindy was holding her, and Soraya was with Reid, looking lost and asking questions frantically.

Tala looked up and saw Derek, her eyes that had been caked with makeup were now giant piles of runny eyeliner and mascara and silver eyeshadow. She jumped to her feet and ran into Derek's arms. "I saw them taking Mom out!" she wailed. "Is she going to be okay?"

Derek didn't answer her. He was frozen. All he could do was wrap her, Lindy, and Soraya in his embrace and hold them. His own tears started to fall and he began to choke on sobs. His last words with Penelope, his fear of almost losing his daughters; it was all too much for one man to handle. In all his life he'd never felt pain this intense, this..._painful_. Even his past demons couldn't compare to it.

"Is Mama going to be alright?" Soraya whimpered.

Derek let go of them all and knelt down in front of his youngest daughter. He still didn't know what to say to his family. The only advice JJ had given him was _Be there for them_. So he decided to take his own route on the advice and murmured, "The doctors are going to fix her up and she'll be okay. We need to get you to the hospital right now and have you all looked at though." He looked at all three of them and nodded unsteadily. "Okay?"

They all nodded mutely. "Okay," Tala whispered.

XXXXX

"Grandma's going to take you three home since the doctors cleared you," Derek told his daughters as the clock in the hospital moved to ten pm. "She's coming in the doors now."

Fran Morgan came rushing towards her son and granddaughters. Her face was pale. Lindy and Soraya threw themselves into her arms. "Oh, you poor babies," she murmured. "We need to get you home."

Tala remained in front of Derek. She stood her ground firmly and said, "I don't want to go home. I'm staying with you until we know something about Mom."

Derek shook his head. "Tala, I need you to help with your sisters. And baby, you'r exhausted. You need to be at home, with a warm shower and your own bed."

"No!" she hissed. "I need to stay with you and see how Mom is!" Her eyes filled with tears. "Please, Dad!"

Taking both her hands, he said, "Tala, please. I need you at home. Do this for your sisters." Seeing his daughter's unfazed glare, he addd softly, "I promise I will call you as soon as we hear anything from the surgeon."

The real reason he couldn't have Tala was there was because he didn't know how the outcome of the surgery would play out. He couldn't have her there not knowing. If it turned out poorly, he needed to be on his own to break down. His daughters needed to see him strong in a time like this and if anything happened to Penelope, there was no telling how many miles he would crumble down.

She looked hesitant at first, but then nodded. "Okay," she said hesitantly. "But you have to call me the moment you hear anything."

He nodded and kissed her forehead. "I'll call you as soon as I know something."

"Girls, start heading for the elevator, please," Fran said, her eyes shimmering with tears. "I'll be right there in a moment." As Tala started to lead her younger sisters towards the elevators, Fran turned to face her son and pulled him into the tightest hug he had ever received. "Are you going to be okay by yourself here?" she asked him. "Do they know anything for certain yet."

He shook his head numbly. "I'll be fine, Mom," he said shakily, making it hard for her to take his words seriously. "She's been in surgery for hours now. All the doctors have come out and told me was there were some complications they were working through and they needed time."

Fran's lower lip quivered. "She _has_ to be okay," she murmured. It was no secret that Fran loved Penelope. She was the first to ever find out Penelope and Derek were together as a couple and she had been hooked on her from the beginning. When Derek told her that he and Penelope were separated, she spent at least the first month in a rut of denial that rivaled Soraya's. She sighed and shook her head. "I'll take the girls home and make sure they're well rested. After what they've been through..." Her voice trailed off. She couldn't bear to even think about what those cruel men had done to her granddaughters.

Derek shot her a look. "Please keep an eye on Tala," he said. "At least two. I'm worried she might sneak out and come back here." The memory of his fight with his eldest daughter from a mere short time ago blinked into his head and he added, "And make sure the liquor cabinet is locked up."

"Why on earth would you be worried about _that_ right now?" his mother demanded incredulously and confused.

He sighed. "Because I don't want Tala getting into it," he ground out. "She's developed a nasty habit of drinking when she's upset about something. It's something we're going to have to bring up in the therapy sessions her doctor just recommended to help deal with the trauma of the Roberts brothers."

Fran didn't say anything after that. Finally, she murmured, "Call us soon with any updates they may bring you."

"I will," he said hoarsely, watching his mother disappear around the hospital corner.

XXXXX

Less than half an hour after his mother and daughters left him alone in the waiting room, the doctors emerged from behind the OR doors. Derek shot to his feet and was in front of them before they had a chance to make it half way across the waiting room to him. With tense shoulders and a terror streaked face, he said, "Doctor, please tell me something went right."

The surgeon gave him a relieved, yet exhausted smile. "Though the surgery took a very long time, we were able to bring your wife back and remove the bullet from her wounds successfully."

Derek stared at the doctor a long moment before nodding and letting out a deep breath, one that he had been holding in for an extended period of time. "What happened that made it take so long?"

"Well," the doctor said, "the bullet hit her very close to her heart, but what was extremely odd was it ricocheted into her lung somehow, lodging itself there, making her cough up blood and lose oxygen very quickly. It took some very delicate hands, but we were able to remove the bullet and shrapnel from her body and patch her up finally." She smiled kindly. "Your wife will make a full recovery."

Never in his life had Derek felt more relieved than he did right then.

Penelope was going to be okay.

She was going to live.

**Hope this one settled your nerves slightly and wasn't too taxing on your souls :) There's more coming that I sincerely hope you will like! As always...PLEASE REVIEW!**


	16. Awakening

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this brilliant television show.**

**Sorry about the delay! But Penelope is okay and will be okay, so you have nothing to worry about :) Some more emotional stuff before we wrap this story up! We've got some flash backs in this chapter featuring all the girls. Hope you enjoy :)**

"Dad?" Tala said anxiously into the phone. "You hear something yet?"

"Yeah," Derek said, leaning back in his chair. "She's going to be okay. The bullet got into her lungs, but she's going to be fine. They fixed her up."

"Thank God!" Tala said in a choked voice on the phone.

"Yeah. I know." He sighed. "Tala baby, I need you to get some sleep," he said. "It's late and you haven't had a decent night's sleep in a while. Grandma Fran is going to bring you in the morning." He heard her start to protest, but he cut her off. "I need you to get some sleep, Baby. She isn't even awake right now. She won't be for another couple of hours anyway."

She sighed. "Alright, Dad," she murmured. "Good night."

"I love you, Baby Doll," he said.

"Love you, too," she yawned, hanging up the phone.

Derek stuck his phone back in his pocket and rubbed his forehead. The doctors were going to let him in to Penelope's room any minute now and he wanted to be ready for that exact moment. As he put his head in his hands, a voice called his name.

"Derek!"

He looked up to see JJ and Rossi hurrying towards him. Rising from his seat, he let JJ wrap him in a hug and hold him tightly. He pulled away and Rossi clapped him on the shoulder. "How is she?" he asked.

"She's going to be okay," Derek said raggedly. "The bullet went into her lung, but they were able to get it out and repair the damage." He felt JJ loosen her muscles under him and he added, "Penelope's going to be fine." He released JJ and looked at both of them. "They should be on the way to let me go see her."

Rossi shook his head. "I can't believe this happened again," he said tiredly. He rubbed his face. "After Battle shot her I thought it would be over finally."

"There's a name from the past," Derek muttered.

The three of them sat down in the waiting room and began the waiting game. As soon as a man appeared in the doorway with a white coat, they all looked up. Jumping to his feet, Derek sprinted across the room and stopped in front of the doctor. "Doctor! Is she still doing okay? Can I see her yet? Is she comfortable or -"

The doctor nodded and held up his hand to stop Derek's frantic speech. "Mr. Morgan, your wife is still doing fine. You may absolutely see her." He looked over at JJ and Rossi. "However, at this time she is asleep and I would like to keep it to one visitor only. Just you, Mr. Morgan."

Derek turned to his teammates and nodded. "I'll see you guys when they're letting people come in," he said. "RIght now I've got to see my wife."

JJ nodded. "Of course," she murmured, her and Rossi watching as Derek followed the doctor out of the room.

XXXXX

"Your wife is through here," the doctor said as he led Derek into Penelope's hospital room. She was hooked up to several machines and breathing normally. "If you need anything, let a nurse know."

"Thank you," Derek said raggedly, sitting down in the chair next to his wife's bed. He took her hand and placed his lips gently on her skin. "Hey Baby Girl." He blinked at her motionless form and rubbed his face with his free hand. "They told me you're going to okay. You have to wake up soon for me, Baby. If you don't, I'll go crazy. Our girls won't be able to go on without you. I can't raise them on their own. I wouldn't know what to do.

"Do you remember when Tala said her first words?" He paused to laugh and rub his face. "I couldn't get her to say anything, but you, Baby Girl, you got her to talk."

"_Will you talk for Daddy , Baby Doll?" Derek begged Tala. For hours she'd been making all sorts of noises and he was hoping she would actually say something this time. He was sitting on the ground of their living room cross legged with his ten month old daughter on his lap. "We need you to say something! You're just like your Mommy in everything else, we've gotta make you talk just as much as her too!"_

_Penelope entered the room and sat down next to Derek on the floor. She grinned at them and cooed to her daughter. Tala started squealing uncontrollably with happiness and began to crawl towards her mother on the floor. Penelope lifted Tala into her arms and kissed the top of her head. "What's going on, Hot Stuff?" she asked, her eyes meeting Derek's. "You sound frustrated."_

_He laughed. "Oh, I'm just trying to get our Baby Doll to talk. She hasn't said a word. She just keeps gurgling." As if to prove his point, Tala let out a small gurgle._

"_Well, let's see if we can get her to talk," Penelope said, looking down at her daughter. "Baby Doll, you wanna try talking for us? Pwease? Mommy and Daddy really want to hear their pretty girl's voice."_

_Tala looked up at them with big blinking eyes and grinned. She started waving her hands in the air and she pointed at Penelope. "Ma - mama!" she yelled happily. "Mama, mama, mama!"_

_Penelope nodded. "Right, Tala!" she cried. She pointed at herself. "I'm Mama!" She pointed at Derek next. "Do you know who this is?"_

_The baby cocked her head to the side. "Dada?" she asked._

_A smile spread over Penelope's face and she kissed the top of Tala's head. "That's right," she murmured. "That's Daddy." Her eyes met Derek's and the light in her eyes lit up the whole room. He felt the love between them radiating between them and sighed happily._

_Leave it to Penelope to get their baby to come out of her shell and blossom with speech._

Derek laughed with the memory of their daughter's first words. "Man, we sure had a victory dance that night," he said, moving a lock of her hair out of her face. "You were so happy when she said your name! Tala couldn't stop saying your name after that. She looks up to you, Baby Girl. You've always been her idol. She just doesn't know how to deal with this - this thing going on. She's so worried about you right now. I practically had to force her to stay home."

He was silent for another few minutes, unsure of what to say. But when the quiet became too overbearing and the still form of Penelope too depressing to look at, he decided now was as good of time as any to reminisce over old memories with his wife. "Do you remember when Lindy wrote you that poem when she was in third grade for Mother's Day?"

"_Daddy, I need your help with something," Lindy said bluntly, entering the study. He was working on a case file when his eight year old daughter entered the room. Looking up, he rubbed his forehead._

"_Do you need _me_ to help you with it, sweetie?" he asked as she sat down on the couch with her green spiral notebook. "I'm working on these case files right now. But I bet your Mom could help you with it."_

_She looked at him bluntly and muttered, "Dad, it's _for_ Mom. Did you forget that Mother's Day is this weekend?"_

_Derek blinked several times. Shit. He _had_ forgotten. Thank God for his resourceful child._

"_You forgot," she said, seeing instantly the reaction in his eyes. "You'd better start remembering stuff like that, Dad. Just wait...one day you'll forget her birthday. Then you're really screwed."_

_He snorted. "Your mother was born on July seventh," he said. "I'm not going to forget her birthday. Trust me." Lindy smirked. He grinned after another moment and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "What do you need help with, sweetie?"_

"_I wanna write Mom a poem," she said decisively. "But I don't know what to write. So I thought I'd ask you."_

_Derek sighed. "Alright then," he said. "What's the plan?"_

_Several days later on the weekend, the whole Morgan family was gathered in the living room of their house, all three girls crowded around Penelope. "Happy Mother's Day, Mom!" Tala said, throwing her arms around Penelope's neck._

"_Oof!" Penelope grinned brightly and hugged her oldest daughter tightly after she'd gathered her bearings. "Thanks Tala." She kissed each of her daughters' heads._

"_Here Mama!" three year old Soraya cried, holding out a small pink piece of paper. "Lindy wrote you this! It's pretty!"_

_Penelope looked up. Lindy blushed and nodded. "It's, uh, it's a poem. We started learning to write them in class. Daddy helped me with some of it it. I couldn't do it right by myself."_

"_Oh, honey, thank you!" Penelope murmured, pulling Lindy into a tight hug. Her eyes met Derek's momentarily and he winked at her. She kissed Lindy's forehead. "Will you read it for me?"_

"And let's not forget when you found out you were pregnant with Raya," he laughed, tears filling his eyes at the thought. "She was a _huge_ surprise! I remember when I got home and you told me..."

_Derek entered his house after a long week of a case in Seattle. He had missed his family immensely. The long cases always were like that. "Girls! I'm home!"_

"_Daddy!"_

_Tala and Lindy came thundering out of the living room and ran straight into his arms. He grinned widely, dropping his go-bag on the ground in the middle of the hallway and picking up both his daughters at once, kissing the tops of their heads. "Hey, you little monsters! Did you behave for your mother while I was gone?" He set them both back on their feet and fixed them with teasing stern glances._

"_Of course not," Tala said sincerely before bursting out into a fit of giggles._

"_Derek?"_

_He looked up over his daughters' heads to see his wife standing nervously in the kitchen archway. A smile covered his face once again as he looked at his beautiful wife. Although something was off about her at that moment. She looked...nervous, exhausted, shocked. Instantly he became concerned and looked back down at his daughters. "Alright girls," he said with a clap of his hands. "Why don't you go start setting the table for dinner? Your Mama and i are going to have a little private time."_

_Lindy pouted, but Tala merely rolled her eyes and took her sister's hand. "C'mon, Lindy," she muttered. "Let those two be gross for a few minutes."_

_Once the girls were gone, Penelope went towards Derek and let him wrap her in his embrace. He kissed her deeply and cupped her cheek in his hands. "You look awful, Baby Girl," he murmured against her cheek. "What's wrong?"_

"_Derek, I really -" She groaned. "God, I hate having to do this!"_

"_What? What is it, Penelope?" he asked, suddenly losing all humor. "What's wrong? You're really worrying me here!"_

_She shook her head. "Derek," she whispered. "I'm pregnant again. And the scary part is is that this should not have happened! I mean, come _on_! I'm past age forty! Shouldn't this have stopped by now?"_

"_Baby, you're forty one," he teased._

"_Derek, this is serious! I'm pregnant again!"_

"_Yeah, this is serious! Seriously awesome!" He sighed, seeing her bite her lip. Moving closer to her, he pulled her towards him and kissed her. "Baby, what are you so worried about?"_

_Her lower lip trembled. "Derek, don't you think I'm a little old to be having more babies? What if something went wrong?"_

"_Baby Girl, it's going to be okay," he murmured. "Forty isn't that bad to be having another baby at."_

_She pouted. "I'm forty one."_

_He laughed and kissed her forehead, then her cheek, then her lips again. "We're having another baby," he whispered. "And I couldn't be happier."_

"_Me neither," she whispered. She cupped his cheeks. "I love you," she added fiercely. "I always will."_

"_I love you, too," he said._

After spending hours at Penelope's bedside, just talking about memories from their past, her eyes finally began to flutter open. He sat forward in his chair, anxious to hear her talk. "Penelope?" he murmured. He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb, hoping she would say something, anything to let him know that she was in there. "Baby Girl, are you feeling okay?" She nodded quietly, trying to sit up some. He shook his head. "No, no. Don't try to sit up. Just stay like this."

"How long have you been sitting there?" she croaked.

"Since you got out of surgery," he said. "I was in the waiting room while it was going on." He sighed. "The surgery was long. You've been out for hours."

Her eyes widened. "Where are the girls?" she asked in a panic. "Are they okay?"

He nodded. "They're okay," he murmured. "Scared...but they're okay. Tala wanted to stay, but she was exhausted so I sent her home with my mom and Lindy and Soraya."

"They're okay?" she asked with tears filling her eyes.

"Yeah, they are," he whispered. "Keith is in custody and Kyle is dead. It's over, sweetheart. We'll be okay."

Tears trickled down her face. "Can you come closer, Derek?" she asked in a hushed tone.

He nodded and moved his chair as close to her bed as he could. They were silent for several minutes. After awhile, he finally took her hand. Holding her hand gently, he murmured, "I love you, Penelope. I always will."

She squeezed his hand softly. "I love you, too."


	17. Coming Home

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So after a very long sabbatical from this story, I have come back to finish it! I appreciate your reviews very much and hope you like the rest of this.**

Penelope was sitting in her hospital room, breathing unsteadily. She had been in the hospital for a week and she was not having a great time. Her children and Derek had spent every moment with her, but she finally told her daughters they had to go back to school. While Derek had walked out to grab a cup of coffee, Tala poked her head in and grinned. "Hi!" she said, coming into the room, her backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Tala," she groaned. "It's noon. You're supposed to be at school!"

"I snuck out," she stated, sitting down in Derek's unofficial seat. "I just wanted to come and see you."

Penelope's stern expression softened and she smiled slightly. "Okay," she said. "But this is the last time. No more ditching class. And you'll have to go back after this. I'll be home soon anyways, so you won't have to go anywhere."

Tala stuck her tongue out and shifted in her seat. "Well, it's good to see you're getting back to your usual self. Making me be responsible."

"How much trouble were you in for..." Her voice trailed off.

She immediately understood. "Oh? You mean breaking Ashley's arm? Well, they're not giving me a suspension due to my...well, you know. But they _did_ make me quit soccer." She snickered. "But at least I get the satisfaction of seeing the bitch's petrified face every day. It's extremely hilarious."

Penelope instantly became concerned again. "Tala, I know you meant well, but I don't want to see you getting in trouble for defending me. What you did to Ashley could have been a lot worse in the way of consequences."

"Eh, I don't really care," she muttered. "All I can say is Ashley got what she deserved: a good kick in the ass." She sighed. She looked directly in her mother's eyes. "So..." she drawled out. "I was wondering about..."

Penelope sighed. "About what's going on with your father and me," she finished.

"Well, yeah," Tala said. "Exactly that."

"Don't freak out or anything, but we haven't really discussed it yet," she admitted. "Right now we're just focussing on getting me out of here as quickly as possible. "Hopefully that will be in the next few days."

Tala perked up. "I'll make sure everything is ready," she said enthusiastically. "I'll clean the whole house! I'll make sure Soraya and Lindy behave exactly right!"

Silently, Penelope watched as her daughter went on and on about everything she was going to do to get the house ready her. It was almost like she was trying to make up for everything going on between them since Derek had left. It almost brought tears to her eyes to see how hard she was trying. Holding up her hand, she shook her head and interrupted Tala. "Sweetie, sweetie," she murmured. She held out her hand for Tala to take. "I think I know what you're trying to do."

"Yeah," she said as if it were so obvious. "I'm trying to help you. I know that cleaning will be a little hard for you, so I'm going to do everything -"

Again, Penelope interrupted her. "You're trying to make up for all the fighting we've been doing." Tala was silent and she averted her eyes. Penelope knew for sure now that she was right. "But you need to realize that you don't need to make up for anything. You're my daughter; I'm your mother. There's nothing to forgive."

Tears filled Tala's eyes and she leaned up to hug her mother tightly. "Love you, Mom," she murmured.

"I love you too, Baby."

XXXXX

Tala snuck out before Derek came back and Penelope was sad to see her go.

"Hey you," Derek said, reentering the room. He smiled. "I talked to the doctor. He cleared you to go home tomorrow."

"Really?" Penelope asked excitedly. "I can go home?"

He nodded. "Yep," he said. "Exactly that."

She pursed her lips. Now seemed like a good time as any to bring up their predicament. "Derek? I was wondering if you and I could have a conversation. Like right now?"

He nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "Absolutely," he said. "What's up?"

"We need to discuss when you're coming home," she said.

"Well, we can do it slowly," he said. "I'll keep the apartment. Maybe sleepover a few times a week on the couch or -"

She shook her head. "Derek, that's not what I want."

He shook his head in confusion. "What do you want then? I suppose I could sleep over only once a week."

Again, she said, "That's not what I want either. I want you _home_. Sleeping in our bed, living with us everyday and out of that apartment, cooking breakfast with the girls and I on Sundays." Tears filled her eyes. "But Baby, I need you home. I love you and want you to see our daughters grow up. I want you around and with us."

Derek was silent and looked at his steaming cup of coffee. But then he looked up at her again and smiled. "I'll make sure Strauss gives me the same plan I asked her for before. And if she refuses, I'll hand in my resignation and find another damn job."

Her eyes went wide. "No, no! Don't quit! Just -"

He leaned up and planted his lips gently on hers to quiet her down. "No, Baby Girl," he said as he pulled away again. "You were right. I need my family and I should never have abandoned you and the girls. You are the only things that matter to me. That's the God's honest truth."

More tears filled her eyes and she sniffled. "Okay," she murmured. "I just want you home. I just want us happy. And I will never let us lose everything again."

He smiled. "I'm coming home," he said.

"You're coming home, Hot Stuff."

**So this one is very short, but that's all the muse had. Don't worry...there will be more!**


	18. Living In Hell

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Criminal Minds.**

**Here's the next chapter and I know you all have been waiting for! Thank you for the reviews and I hope you enjoy it :)**

"Well, that's the last of the boxes!" Tala said excitedly, gently placing her father's last cardboard box of things in the study. He hadn't taken much, so it had been a relatively short to move and the furniture had been part of his rental agreement. Moving home was relatively easy for Derek.

Currently Derek was sitting in the living room with Penelope, waiting on her hand and foot. If she needed water, he got it. If she needed assistance moving around, he was there to guide her around, keeping a supportive arm around her waist. She watched as Tala came back into the living room and grinned. "I got the last box in and stacked with the other ones. Well, all six of them anyway."

"Baby, you didn't really have to do that," Derek said. "I could have gotten them out later."

Tala shook her head vigorously. "You're taking care of Mom," she said. "I can take care of it." She checked her watch and sighed. "Well, I'm going upstairs. I - I have to go do some homework." Hurrying out of the living room, she called back to them, "I'll unpack them later."

Penelope looked at Derek worriedly. "Derek," she said. "I'm really worried about her. Didn't her therapist say they were having a hard time making progress with her?"

He nodded. "I know," he murmured. "I'm worried about her too. The doc said she was closing herself off in the sessions. Lindy and Soraya are letting her in, but Tala...she's not talking. And she's been throwing a lot of stuff away. Last night I found her curling iron in the trash can along with a bunch of makeup." Penelope leaned her head against his chest and he kissed the top of her head, resting his chin against her blonde hair.

"Why is she running around like crazy here though?" she asked. "Every time I turn around, she's there with a bright smile and ready to help."

"Things at home are getting back to normal for her with us getting back together and she's feeling safe like that," he explained. "But the throwing out the makeup and curling iron, that makes sense because of what Keith Roberts did to her."

Tears filled her eyes. "I wish I knew how to make everything go away for them," she murmured. "They didn't deserve any of this, this shit that had nothing to do with them, but with me."

"Don't talk like that," he whispered, using his thumb to wipe her tears away. "Baby, there's nothing that would have stopped Keith from taking Tala. He had his heart set on taking her. None of this is your fault. You are just as much a victim."

She shook her head and moved to look up at him. "I went through _nothing_ like what they went through!" she wept. "They're just girls! Soraya isn't even ten years old and she's seen more than she ever should have. I can't -"

He put a finger to her lips and shook his head. "Sweetheart, just slow down," he said. "You're just making yourself more anxious and that's not going to help anyone. You'll make yourself sick."

She touched his cheek gently and said, "I'm so glad you're home. I would never know how to handle this on my own. None of us would."

He pulled her close and held her tightly. "The bonds of a family can never be broken. That's how strong we are."

XXXXX

After Penelope had laid down for a nap, Soraya and Lindy tucked in with her, wanting to spend time with her, Derek returned downstairs and poured himself a cup of coffee. He leaned against the kitchen counter and closed his eyes for a moment. His whole house was in a state of turmoil. Tala was almost never out of her room, Lindy and Soraya hardly spoke, Penelope was worried sick, and Derek was trying to protect them all from feelings that he himself was enduring and not entirely sure of how to handle them.

Their lives had become a living hell.

A knock sounded from the front door, interrupting his thought process. Sighing, he went to the door and opened it, surprised to see that the person standing on his porch was Erin Strauss. She nodded to him. He stared at her blankly before speaking in a gravely voice. "What can I do for you, Strauss?" he asked, stepping aside so she could enter the house. He closed the door and started towards the kitchen again. He grabbed another mug for her and poured a cup of coffee, sliding it over the island towards her.

"How is your family?" she asked, taking a sip of the steaming liquid.

He looked at her with narrowed eyes, wondering what her ulterior motive might be. There would be no other reason she would show up at his doorstep. She had no personal connection to his family. Their relationship was one of strictly business. Nevertheless, he shook his head. "Not good," he said sorrowfully. He rubbed his face tiredly. "No one is getting a good night's rest here. My daughters haven't been speaking and Penelope is doing nothing but worrying."

She fixed his with a sympathetic look and at that moment he thought she was sincere.

"I am sorry," she murmured. "I wish they didn't have to go through this. It's going to be a rough ride for you all."

He huffed bitterly. "Huh, no shit." Taking a sip of his own cup of coffee, he muttered, "No offense, but why did you show up at my door? I'm assuming this isn't a social call." He raised a brow at her.

She shook her head and folded her hands in front of herself. "I've come to let you know that your two weeks of leave are up," she said, her tone turning business like a matter of seconds. "Your team has been without you and now you're being called back in." She paused a moment. "I'm sorry to drag you away from your family at this time, but it has to happen. You're needed at the Bureau. Again, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Bull_shit_, you're sorry!" he growled. "You're not sorry at all. Don't even try to tell me that you are."

Strauss bowed her head a moment. "Agent Morgan, I know we've never seen eye to eye, but -"

"Take your order, and shove it up your ass!" he snapped. "I'm not coming back until I know that my family doesn't need me."

"I understand that you want to stay home, but right now the case load is too large and the team is under manned right now. They need you back and so do the victims of those cases."

He glared at her. "With all due respect, _ma'am_, I don't care if they need me now. The most important people in my life are the only ones I will worry about until I see that they're okay. And at present, they need me."

"You will come back in -"

He shook his head and said, "No...I won't. And if you want to fire me, go right ahead. My marriage almost fell apart because of this damn job, I won't let it happen again."

"Are you resigning?" she challenged him.

"No," he said. "But if you continue to tell me that I have to come in and abandon my family when they need me most, then yeah...I'll resign. Don't think I'm bluffing either. Find me a temporary replacement and I'll return after my family recovers, or I'll leave the Bureau without even looking back."

She rose to her feet. "You're on a suspension...indefinitely," she said, outrage in her eyes. "No one speaks to me like that."

"Then I guess this is a first," he said bitterly. "And if you want it to be the last, I suggest you get the hell out of my house and out of my face."

She started for the door. "I'll show myself out." He didn't even care when she slammed the door. Returning to his cup of coffee, he slammed his fist down on the counter and began to breathe heavily, rage boiling inside him fiercely. He was so mad he could kill someone.

Strauss was particularly high on his list.

"Daddy?"

Turning around, he saw Soraya entering the kitchen, her huge brown eyes wide. He attempted to smile and said, "Hey Baby Doll. You not sleeping very well?"

She shook her head and went to his side. He reached down picked her up, kissing her cheek in her process. "Sorry, sweetheart. I wish I could help you. Are you feeling okay? Do you want something to drink?"

Soraya wrapped her arms around Derek's neck and snuggled into his shoulder. "I'm okay right now, Daddy," she said. "I'm not thirsty. I just heard you talking to that lady." She looked at him with fat tears floating on the surface of her brown, doe like eyes. "Daddy, are you going away again? For a long time? Like when you go to save people?"

"No," he said firmly. "I'm not going anywhere until you and Mommy and your sisters are all better. And if the lady keeps telling me to leave, I'll just quit. Sound good?"

"As long as I get to be with you, Daddy," she said, hugging him again.

He nodded. "I'll always be with you Raya."

XXXXX

Tala sat in her room, her back resting against the edge of her bed as she sat on the floor. She lifted her bottle of vodka she was drinking straight from and took a quick swig, savoring the feel of the burning alcohol as it slid down her throat. She was drunk, and quite happy that way.

Wiping her non existent tears from her cheeks, she leaned her head back against her bed and closed her eyes. She couldn't get the feel of Keith's hands off her scalp, she couldn't handle moving her hair away from her face without remembering how he curled it and styled it. She couldn't look at her face without seeing it put together with makeup.

So she had done the one thing she could think: she threw out all her makeup and anything to do with her hair. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she couldn't even look in the mirror without seeing her hair and what he had experimented with. It had been his little experiment, something he had played with. And that was something she did not think she could handle.

Rising unsteadily from the ground, she stumbled over to her desk and opened her desk drawer, producing a pair of scissors. Without a second thought as to what she was doing, she brought it up to her hair and began to hack away until it was at the nape of her neck and no one could run their fingers through it.

**So this one was kind of sad and emotional. Sorry if I made you upset...I was a little upset just writing it. Alas, it had to be done.**


	19. Helping Tala

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So now that they're all home, we've got some healing to do, mostly starting with Tala. Actually, it's mostly going to be Tala. Penelope and Derek's marital problems get addressed after they help her. Thank you for the reviews and I hope this chapter meets your expectations!**

"Derek, have you seen Tala at all?" Penelope asked as she came into the kitchen. "I haven't seen her since she disappeared upstairs."

He shook his head. "I haven't actually," he said. "Dinner's about ready though. Do you want to go grab her?" He wiped his hands on a dish towel. "I'll have the girls set the table and get drinks out." They were all having their first family dinner together in months. Hopefully it would go well. He had yet to tell her of his meeting with Strauss. She had been fast asleep when she had been there and had not heard any of the conversation. He was planning to talk to her later in the evening before they went to bed.

So far since Penelope had been home, he was watching for signs that she wanted more distance. But each and every night for the past two weeks she had pulled him by his hand into their room and snuggled into him, letting him hold her. And he did. He spent the night with his arm wrapped around her waist and his face buried in the crook of her neck.

She had yet to tell him to get the hell away from her. Both of them were fully committed to fixing their marriage.

Penelope nodded in answer to his question. "I'll go up and find her now," she said. "She must be done with her homework. I'd be surprised if she wasn't." She started for the stairs and made her way up. She knocked on Tala's door. "Tala, baby? Dinner's almost ready. You done with your homework."

A very strangled answer came out. "I'm - I'm not hungry!" she called out.

Penelope furrowed her brow. Something was not right about this. Her daughter's voice sounded...off. Putting her hand on the knob, she opened the door and gasped. Sitting on the floor, hair covering the ground around her and a bottle of half empty vodka at her side, was Tala. She looked up with wide, glazed eyes and cried, "Go away, Mom! I can't - can't see you! I have to be alone!"

Immediately she rushed to Tala's side and cupped both of her cheeks in her hands. She looked into her daughter's eyes and tears sprang to her own. "Oh, Tala," she said brokenly. "What have you done? Baby, why did you do this?" She brought her hands to her daughter's newly choppy hair and tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Tala stared at her with blank, drunken, empty eyes and mumbled, "I got rid of his toy. I got rid of his experiment. He has nothing to style. He can't t-touch me now. He c-can't-" She bent her head and let out a dry sob. "He's still hurting me, Mom! He's still playing with me for his games. I'm j-just a pawn...he's inside my head! He's not leaving me alone!"

Feeling entirely hopeless, Penelope moved towards her daughter and pulled her into her arms. She stroked her back and kissed the top of her head, rocking her in her arms. "He can't hurt you anymore, Baby. He's locked up. He won't ever get to you again. And I won't let anyone touch you again. You're safe."

"He's never going to leave me! He's -" She was overcome with emotion again and lost the ability to speak. Her breathing and sobs came in great bursts now. Her tears were wetting Penelope's shirt and she allowed herself to be held in her mother's comforting arms.

"Tala, I'll never let anyone hurt you again. Ever." She kissed the top of her head.

After another moment of Tala's sobs, Derek appeared in the doorway, concern covering his face and his mouth dropped. Penelope shook her head and he nodded, understanding what she meant. He backed away and disappeared again, going back to the younger two daughters.

Penelope returned to looking at the top of Tala's head and holding her more tightly. "Baby, I think we need to get you into bed," she murmured. "You need to sleep. We can talk in the morning." Supporting her, Penelope pulled her very drunk daughter up and started helping her towards her bed. Still sobbing, Tala slid into her bed and Penelope pulled the covers up over her and kissed her forehead. "I love you," she whispered, wiping her tears from her eyes.

But Tala had already fallen asleep.

XXXXX

Late at night after Lindy and Soraya had gone to bed, Penelope was sitting on the edge of her and Derek's bed, staring at the ground. The door opened and she looked up to find Derek coming in. He closed the door softly and she stood up. "How is she?" she asked anxiously, wringing her hands together.

Derek shook his head. "She's still asleep." He rubbed his face, complete devastation covering his face. Looking directly at his wife, he had tears swimming on the surface of her eyes. She had never seen him look so lost, so without hope and no direction of where to turn. "Penelope...what are we going to do?" he asked even though he knew neither of them had any answers. "How can we help her? She's..."

"I know," she whispered hoarsely. "All I know is we need some help. A lot of help. And so does Tala."

"She thinks she's still under his control," he said. "Who knows how long it could take to bring her back."

"Is she going to hate her hair forever?" Penelope asked.

"I honestly don't know," he responded. "It's possible. We need to talk to Dr. Jansen. We need to get her opinion on the matter."

Penelope wiped her tears from her cheeks. "If she suggests sending her to a facility, I won't let them take her," she said fiercely. "Unless it's absolutely dire and she starts trying to hurt herself or someone else. I don't want her taken away from us...not when we just got her back from those bastards." She shook her head and her face was taken over by something Derek had never seen before in her. It was a look of complete rage and pent up anger and grief all mixed into one lethal combination. "I never thought I could hate any human being, not even the some of the scum we deal with everyday. But these men...these _evil_ bastards who took our daughters, who hurt them and tortured them emotionally...them I can hate. Them I could kill if I had the chance."

Derek nodded. "I know the same feeling, Baby Girl," he said softly. "I would give anything to kill Kyle over and over again and then put a bullet in Keith's brain. But we can't. The only thing we can concentrate on is healing Tala, Lindy, and Raya. They are all that matter now."

Penelope was silent for a moment. "Derek, this could take months and months," she said worriedly. "Strauss is going to call you back into work."

"She already did," he said. "She came to the house earlier while you were sleeping."

Her face began to falter. "When do you have to leave next?"

He shook his head. "I've been suspended indefinitely," he said. "I told her to go shove it and that I wasn't going anywhere or setting foot back in the Bureau until you and the girls recover. If she decides to fire me in the end, then so be it."

She moved closer to his and wrapped her arms around his waist. He cupped her cheek in one hand. "How could have ever doubted you?" she whispered. "How could I have ever thought you weren't committed to your family?" More tears began to pour down her face. "Thank you, Derek. Thank you for staying."

"I'm not going anywhere until you're all better. The only people who matter are you. I mean that with all my heart."

Leaning her head against his chest, she murmured, "Hold me, Derek. Just - just hold me."

"You don't need to ask me twice."

**Another emotional one...I hope you liked it though. These ones are sometimes a challenge to write, but I find scenes like it to be extremely effective in stories. I hope I don't sound arrogant when I say that :-/**


	20. Healing Begins

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Here's the next chapter! This story does have a happy ending, so don't worry too much. Thank you for the reviews :)**

Derek woke in bed at eight o'clock in the morning. Breathing softly beside him on the bed was Penelope. She was still sound asleep. Kissing her softly on the top of the head, he got up and strode quietly towards the door. He entered the hallway and made his way towards Tala's room to check on her. Opening the door, he poked his head in the dimly lit room and found his daughter perched on her bed. Her chin was resting on her knees and she was making herself as small as she could. Her eyes flicked up to meet her father's.

Wordlessly he entered her room and sat down next to her. "Hi, Dad," she said mutely. She made no movements. She just sat there.

He looked over at her and her newly, self-cut hair and his eyes began to water. "Hey Baby," he murmured in a choked voice. Even though she was making no movements, he couldn't help himself; he had to hold her and let her know that she was safe with him. Moving closer to her, he pulled her into his arms and closed his eyes. He hated that this had happened to his daughter. He hated that she was hurt like this, suffering inside from something so terrible having happened to her.

Neither of them said a word. When Tala had first been born, Derek swore to whoever was up there listening that he would do anything to protect his baby girl from anyone who would ever try and hurt her. He had failed her, he had broken his promise and now his daughter was suffering more than he could ever imagine. There was no worse feeling in the world that that. With Lindy and Soraya, it was going better. They were healing much better than their eldest sister. The therapist was making process with them.

Tala had completely shut down though. It was like a ghost had taken over her body and she was nothing more than a shell of her former self.

He was her father and he had not been able to stop her from getting hurt. Her pain was from his weakness and his inability to protect her. Nothing made him feel more guilty than that. He couldn't stand if he lost Tala, not even for a little while, not when he had just gotten Penelope back. Not when their family was just starting to reunite. Nothing in the world, even catching scumbags and terrible unsubs couldn't keep him from protecting his family and the love he held for them

The world could be burning down crumbling around him and the rest of the human race and he would not give a shit; the only ones he would care about were Penelope and their daughters.

Suddenly something wet hit his arms. It was her tears. Soon he couldn't keep his own tears at bay and they started flooding down his face onto the top of her head. The pain was crashing down on him, weighing down as if he were being pressed by one ton stones.

"I love you, Dad," she wept quietly.

"I love you, too, Tala."

XXXXX

"What do you think you want to do with it?" Penelope asked Tala, running her fingers through her choppy hair. Derek had taken Lindy and Soraya to their therapy appointment, leaving Tala and Penelope alone in the house.

Tala shook her head at her mother. "I don't care," she said bluntly. "Do whatever you want to it."

Penelope met Tala's eyes through the mirror in front of them. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive," she said. Her expression was blank as she stared ahead at nothing in particular. It broke Penelope's heart.

"Okay." Then she began fixing her daughter's hair so that it would look like she had gone to get a hair cut rather than looking like she had taken scissors to it herself. When she was done, she set the scissors down and started brushing the small hairs off of Tala's sweater. She rubbed her back gently. "How are you feeling right now, Baby? Do you want me to get you anything?"

Tala shook her head. "I'm okay, Mom." She looked back in the mirror and observed her new haircut. She thought the haircut resembled Ginnifer Goodwin's hair on _Once Upon A Time_. She looked up at her mother again and smiled softly, the first real smile since she got home. "Thanks," she added. "I look like -"

"Like Ginnifer Goodwin on _Once Upon A Time_," Penelope finished. "I thought you might like that considering it's your favorite show." Her face softened. "You really like it?"

Tala nodded and wrapped her arms around Penelope's waist. She held her tightly. "Really," she said. "It was you who cut it. Not - not _him_. I knew it was you, and I trust you and know that I'm not something you would..."

Penelope kissed the top of her head. "You will never, ever be hurt by anyone again," she said. "That's a promise. If it were up to me, the bastard would be dead before he could ever stand trial."

XXXXX

"Lindy, Raya, I need you to sit in the waiting room while I talk to Dr. Janson, okay?" Derek said.

Lindy nodded and took Soraya's hand. "C'mon Raya," she said. "Let's go." She led her sister out of the therapist's office and closed the door behind her.

Derek turned back to Dr. Janson. She gestured towards the couch and sat down in the armchair next to it. "Please, Mr. Morgan," she said, adjusting her glasses on her face. "Sit. We can have a chat right now."

He sat. "Thank you for talking with me," he said tiredly. "Tala's..." He rubbed his face. "She's not talking to anyone. She's shut down. She keeps drinking and she cut off all her hair and..." His voice trailed off again.

She nodded in understanding. "I know it's been difficult," she said sympathetically. "She's not opening up in her sessions either. The drinking is a way to cope with her pain and the cutting her hair is a way to get rid of the feeling of Keith Roberts touching and styling her hair. Take the pain of guilt for fighting with her mother, the fact her sisters were taken along with her, and the pain of the possible divorce between you and your wife, it all became too much for her." She sighed. "She may take months, even years to find a way to properly deal with it. Until we can break through her defense system, I would definitely recommend removing all alcohol from your house."

"It's already been done," he said. "We don't know where she keeps getting it from. I'm fairly tempted to have a chat with all her friends. I won't because she doesn't want anyone knowing, but I can't have her drinking herself into oblivion."

"What does Penelope know about this all?"

"She found her at first. She's helping her with her hair. She's surprising her by cutting it like a character on her favorite TV show." He looked up at the doctor and asked, "Is that okay?"

"Things that are familiar to her are good," she said with a nod. "And I think having her mother doing it will be therapeutic for her. She'll know it's Penelope doing it and will be a step in the right direction towards helping her deal with the fear of her hair."

Derek nodded and looked at his watch. "I need to get the girls home," he said.

She rose to her feet and he did the same. "I'll see Tala at her next appointment," she said. "It's on Thursday. And if it's alright, I would like it if you and your wife joined us. I'd like to see if she'll open up."

"Yes, of course," he said. "Penelope always was the one who got her to talk. She even got her to say her first words."

"Something like that is precisely why I think it would be best if you joined us," she said, opening the door so that Derek could join his daughters to take them home.

XXXXX

When Derek arrived back home, it was already five o'clock. In the living room sat Penelope and Tala, both of them holding a pint of ice cream, Penelope with a pint of Cherry Garcia and Tala a pint of Late Night Snack.

Lindy and Soraya went into the living room, both of the wearing huge smiles on their faces. "Tala! Your hair looks so pretty!" Soraya cooed, touching her sister's head. Tala's eyes went wide, but she smiled uncomfortably for a moment.

"Thanks Raya," she said.

Derek went in and leaned over the back of the couch, smiling. "Baby, your hair looks so great! You look amazing."

Penelope smiled and reached her hand up to squeeze her husband's. Derek squeezed it back and looked at Tala again. "You happy with your hair?" he asked hopefully. He prayed she wouldn't be upset.

She smiled tightly and nodded. But then she saw the look on her father's face and her smile turned more sincere. "Yeah," she said. "Mom did a great job."

Just the little smile gave both Penelope and Derek extreme joy. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Their eyes met and warmth radiated between them. It was great to see Tala smile again. And even though she still had a long way to go, it made their hearts beat happily at that very moment.

**Getting there! I swear we're getting there.**


	21. Opening Up

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Here's yet **_**another**_** emotional chapter...sorry! I like this one, though. Some mother/daughter interaction. Thank you for the reviews!**

"Thanks for offering to watch Lindy and Raya, Jayje," Penelope said as she started putting her jacket on. She smiled sadly. "I appreciate it. Lindy is able to stay home alone, but I just don't want them to be alone."

JJ nodded and smiled. "It's no problem at all," she said. "And Henry is thinking of stopping by with some pizza." She lowered her voice some. "Do you know how long the session will be?"

Penelope shook her head. "I don't," she murmured. "Dr. Janson wants to see if we'll make any progress in getting her to talk. She cleared her schedule for the afternoon just in case it takes a little longer." Tears filled her eyes. "What am I going to do, JJ? I don't think I've ever been as lost as I am now. And Derek...he's having a hard time. Just talking is hard for him. I'm so scared he'll shut down like Tala did."

Shaking her head, JJ said, "Hon, he certainly hasn't shut down. I heard Strauss complaining about how he refused to come back to work. She was _livid_. He hasn't shut down. He just feels the pain as much as you and Tala do. And when Derek feels pain, well, you know better than anyone how he gets. He gets quiet, but he doesn't shut down. He's here for you, Tala, and the little girls. He'll never leave you for his own mind."

Nodding, Penelope rubbed her eyes. "I know, I know," she mumbled. "I'm just...just exhausted."

Putting her hand on her arm, JJ said, "I know you are." She was quiet for a moment before adding, "How are you and Derek? Are things tense or are you guys...well, yourselves again?"

"We're doing - it's like we're us again," she murmured. "We've got our connection back. When he holds me at night, I feel how much he cares, how much he loves us. I don't know how I could ever have doubted him. I can't help but think that this might be my fault. _I_ told Derek to leave, _I_ let Kyle into this house. Maybe if I hadn't, he wouldn't have told Keith about her."

"This is _not_ your fault," JJ said firmly. "There is no one to blame but that son of a bitch."

Before Penelope could respond, Derek came into the kitchen and looked towards his wife and JJ. "You ready to go?" he asked, coming over and putting his hand on the middle of her back.

Difficultly, she nodded and looked at him. "Ready when you are," she said softly, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Tala's in the car already," he said. "Let's get going." He nodded to JJ. "Thanks again, JJ."

JJ nodded her head. "I'll see you when you get back," she said compassionately.

XXXXX

Penelope, Derek, and Tala sat in the waiting room of the therapist's office. Tala was staring blankly at the walls in between her parents. It took all she had not to get up and leave. But she was doing this for them. She wanted nothing more than to do everything her parents told her. She was trying to be the perfect child. Despite her best efforts though, she was failing miserably. She had chopped every inch of her hair off, couldn't control her drinking, and was having a hard time saying any words at all. Even eating was making her nauseous.

The door to Dr. Janson's office opened and the kind therapist came out into the waiting room, gesturing into her room. Tala liked her well enough, but she didn't trust her. She couldn't trust her. So most of her sessions consisted of silence and Dr. Janson studying any movement she made, any expression that crossed her face.

"Come on in," the doctor said.

Penelope and Derek nodded, neither of them letting go of the others hand. They looked over at Tala and waited for her to follow them in. She rose and entered first, sitting down on the couch she sat on in her weekly appointments. The therapist closed the door and sat in her usual seat. Penelope and Derek sat on the couch beside Tala.

"I'm glad all three of you could come," she said, crossing her legs in front of her. She took out her legal pad that recorded notes on and wrote something down momentarily. Her focus shifted to Tala. "Tala, do you know why I asked your parents to sit in on this one?"

Tala merely shrugged. She knew exactly why, she just didn't muster up the energy to answer. Looking at the worried looks on her parents' faces though, her heart broke, more than it already had. So she opened her mouth. "You think they'll get me to talk," she said, her voice almost inaudible.

Dr. Janson nodded. "Yes, exactly," she said with a nod. "And apparently they have already. Most sessions you don't say a word. This one you've already said six."

Tala rolled her eyes. "Maybe," she muttered. "Who knows? Maybe I'm just feeling a little more talkative today."

"Do you really believe that?" the therapist asked pointedly. It was clear to everyone in the room that Derek and Penelope's presence was what was making her say something. She was only doing it for their sake, but it was still something in the way of words. So she didn't answer. "Well, what I want to do know is have your mother talk to you."

Penelope's eyes went wide. "Wh - what do you want me to say?" she asked nervously. It was obvious she was afraid she would say something to make things worse.

"From what Derek has told me, you are usually the one who gets Tala to talk the most," she explained. "And I think you can do that now. She'll need a way to release what she's holding back and you're the best person to do it. No matter what distance has been between you both for the last few months, you'll always be her best friend, her mother, her confidante. You're her best hope."

"You going to talk about me like I'm not in the room some more?" Tala asked dryly. Closing her eyes, she glanced at Penelope softly. "Sorry, Mom. I'll shut up."

With her eyes still wide, Penelope took a deep breath. She turned away from Dr. Janson and Derek so that her back was to them and she was only facing Tala. "Tala, Baby," she started, reaching out to take both of Tala's hands. They were so cold that they felt like ice. But at least she didn't try and pull them away. For that, Penelope was grateful. "You know, when you were just a little girl, you never backed away from anything. A scraped knee, a bruised elbow, the time you broke your arm climbing that tree at Uncle Dave's cabin. You remember all those times, don't you?"

She hoped Tala would say something, but she merely nodded, looking down at her mother's hands in hers.

Tears filled Penelope's eyes and she went on. "All those times, each and every one of them, you never cried. No tears at all. You've always been so strong, Baby Doll. You've always held your head high and defended people who needed it. That's your father in you. Every part of you is so full of life. Every single part.

"And I know you. You're my daughter, my baby...I can sense your pain and your anger and I feel each and every one of those emotions. I know...I know how much you hurt. But you are are so strong. You _radiate_ strength." She sniffled and choked on her next words. "That's how I know you'll get through this, because nothing can keep you down. You know that...right?"

Tala kept her eyes trained down, refusing to look up.

Penelope touched Tala's cheek and begged, "Baby, please talk to me. I just want to hear your voice. Dr. Janson said that if you let it out and talk, you'll - you'll feel better. You can't keep everything bottled up."

After a few moments, Tala finally looked up at Penelope. Her eyes were blood shot, red rimmed, and swollen. Next her gaze flicked to Derek and Dr. Janson. "Um, could - could I talk to Mom alone...please?"

Derek looked at Dr. Janson. "Where should we go?" he asked.

Rising from her seat, she motioned for Derek to follow her. "My colleague is out of town right now," she said. "We can go in there and wait."

They headed out the door, leaving Penelope and Tala alone in the therapy room together. Tala's lower lip trembled and she took a shaky breath. "I'm so sorry, Mom," she said hoarsely. "I can't figure out how to say anything right now. I can't figure out how to _think_ anymore. It's like he took everything from me. I couldn't move because he strapped me into that chair. I couldn't get out because he locked the door. I couldn't tell him to get the hell away from me or the girls without him hitting me. I can't even hear my own name without remembering him calling me _little wolf_!"

"I know," Penelope whispered. She used her thumb to wipe away some of Tala's tears. "I know you can't. But it'll get better. You can overcome anything." Tucking a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear, she added, "You know, when I got shot - the first time, anyway - I was scared of everything. But time healed me. And it'll heal you too. I'll be here to help you every step of the way."

Tears silently flowed down her cheeks and Penelope pulled her into her arms. "I just don't want it to hurt anymore," Tala murmured against Penelope's chest. She looked up momentarily though. "But Dr. Janson was right...I do feel a little better after talking to you."

Penelope kissed the top of her head and rested her chin on top of it. "I'm glad," she whispered, stroking Tala's short hair. "And if you keep talking, you'll find it feels better and better each time."


	22. Drowning In Wounds

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Criminal Minds. It's sad. I know.**

**Thanks for the reviews guys! I'm getting around to wrapping this story up. I don't know if I could really call this one **_**fun**_** to write. It's a pretty sad story for the majority of it. I'm brainstorming my next M/G story right now and it'll be coming up later. Hope this chapter is alright!**

**Warning: This chapter is rated M.**

_6 Months Later _

"Mom, I'm going to hang out with Aunt JJ," Tala said. "She invited me and the girls to go and get ice cream with her and Uncle Will." She smiled at Penelope as her mother was sitting on the couch with a book in her hands. "They're picking us up. Is that okay?" she asked hopefully.

Penelope nodded. It was six months after Tala had reluctantly opened up to her mother and things were going better and better with each day that passed. She could not have been more happy. Dr. Janson told her to begin keeping a journal of her feelings regarding the memories and how she was reacting towards her physical appearance. She was still cutting her hair so that it was short and like Ginnifer Goodwin. But she was gradually telling Penelope more about how she was feeling. She even was telling Derek a few things. But most of the time it was just Penelope. It amazed everyone how she was to getting her to speak. It was minimal of course, but it was worlds better than it had been after she had first gotten home.

_Penelope opened the door to her house after bringing Lindy and Soraya home from their piano lessons. Her younger daughters started for the living room where they were going to start their homework. Lindy had said something that Soraya thought was hysterical as the two of them headed for the couches. She couldn't help but smile softly. They had healed relatively quickly. Occasionally they became antsy, but for now they were returning to their normal behavior._

_It was Tala she was more than a little concerned about. She was more concerned about her than she had been in her entire life._

"_Girls, finish your homework and then you can watch some TV," she called to Lindy and Soraya. "Got it?"_

"_Got it!" they called simultaneously._

_Penelope started heading up the stairs and towards her room to change into sweatpants and a tank top. She had spent the whole day in her usual tight clothing for work. At the moment she just wanted relaxation. Derek would be home in about an hour. His suspension had been lifted, but he still wasn't able to return to cases for another week. It was all paper work until she allowed him back in._

_But as she got to the top of the stairs, she heard the sound of barely covered sobs from behind the bathroom door. Immediately she hurried to the door and knocked softly. "Tala? Tala, answer me!"_

"_Don't come in, Mom!" she begged._

_Penelope turned the knob and was surprised when she was able to get in. The door was unlocked, and based on what Tala was doing, it came as an extreme shock. Her gut dropped and she gasped. "Oh my God! Tala!"_

_On the floor, her back leaning against the glass door to the shower, was her daughter, both her arms covered in gushing cuts. Penelope knelt down in front of her and grasped her by the wrists, blood dripping down into her hands. A razor blade was on the tile floor and it was splattered with deep crimson blood droplets. Tears filled Penelope's eyes and she murmured, "Baby, we need to get you to the hospital! There's way too much blood coming out." She tried to pull Tala up to her feet by taking her gently by the shoulders._

_Weeping, Tala shook her head weakly. Her face was pale and her movements were slow. Clearly she was losing too much blood. "No, no," she gasped breathlessly. "Just let me go! Keith still hasn't left me...he still won't get out of my head!"_

"_No!" Penelope cried, reaching into her sweater pocket to pull out her phone. She hurriedly dialed 911 and called for an ambulance. When they arrived five minutes later because they had been in the area, she watched them strap her now unconscious daughter into a stretcher. Lindy and Soraya stared at the scene, absolutely petrified. Penelope had told them to call JJ to keep an eye on them._

"_Mrs. Morgan, you can ride in the ambulance with us," one of the paramedics said. "Just be sure to us do our jobs."_

_Tearfully, Penelope nodded. "Of course."_

_When they reached the hospital and the doctors started to work on saving Tala, Penelope put her phone to her ear and called her husband._

"_Hey Baby Girl," he answered cheerfully. "I'm heading home now and -"_

_She cut him off. "Derek, don't go home," she wept._

"_Penelope!" he said frantically. "What is it? What's wrong?"_

_She covered a gut wrenching sob with her mouth before continuing. "It's Tala," she choked out through her tears. "She tried to kill herself."_

After her daughter had tried to commit suicide, she had been placed under strict supervision in the psychiatric ward. The psychiatrist had allowed her to go home afterwards, so long as her therapy scheduler was increased dramatically and she was put on medication to help stabilize her moods. It was also made clear that her diagnosis was severe PTSD.

"_The only person she is interested in harming is herself," Dr. Janson explained. "She won't harm anyone. Lindy, Soraya, and the both of you will be perfectly safe. It's Tala who won't be able to keep herself safe from herself."_

At present the only two people Tala was truly speaking to were Penelope and Dr. Janson. Occasionally she would open up to Derek, but it was a rare occurrence.

Essentially, everyone had to be extremely wary of Tala. The drinking had stopped because there was no possible way she could get any alcohol and the self-harm was down dramatically due knives and razors being locked up. She still would try to find ways around it, but lately her treatment had been working. One way she was able stay in control without hurting herself was a multitude of rubber bands on her wrist that she could snap if she needed. And she did need it...frequently.

The only people Penelope trusted her daughter with were her husband, the BAU team, and Dr. Janson. No exceptions.

She went to stand in front of Tala and put both hands on her shoulders. Kissing her forehead, she murmured, "You be careful. Stay with JJ, okay?"

Tala nodded, her face blank. "I will," she assured her. "And Lindy and Raya will be safe too."

Penelope knew about Tala fierce protectiveness she displayed for her sisters after their experience of being snatched off the street. If they were somewhere other than home, she never allowed them out of her sight. And if anyone so much as glanced their way, she was sure to keep them at her side, her arms around both their shoulders.

A brief knock sounded from the door and JJ opened it, poking her head in. "Hey girls," she said. "Are you ready to go?" She smiled softly. "Oh! And Derek just pulled up. He's talking with Will right now."

Tala nodded and looked over at Penelope, her eyes flashing fearfully for a moment as if leaving her would be unthinkable. However, JJ put a hand on her shoulder and turned around to look at her. She smiled at her. "Ready to go, Aunt JJ," she said.

"Okay then," she said, motioning for them to head towards the door. She looked back at Penelope before closing it. "We'll be back soon, Garcie."

Penelope nodded. She trusted JJ with her children's lives. She had no doubt she would return with them when she said she would. The two of them disappeared out the door and she went to the kitchen window to look as her daughters got into the LaMangtane's car. Derek waved as the car pulled out of the driveway and he started for the door to come inside.

"Baby Girl?" she called. "I'm home." He came into the kitchen and she looked over at him from the window. He crossed the floor to her and pulled her forward to kiss her forehead. "You okay?" He knew well how much it hurt Penelope to let the girls out of the house. However, she knew they had to learn to reintegrate themselves into the world. It was Dr. Janson's recommendation and Penelope trusted her. And because she trusted her, she would listen.

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah," she croaked. "I'm okay. I know JJ will take care of them."

He nodded. "She will."

Looking him directly in the eye, she grasped both of his cheeks and pulled him into a kiss. He closed his a moment, but when he opened them again, he pulled her tightly into his arms and deepened the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she held on for dear life. The kiss was fiery and passionate and both of them poured their pain into it, hoping that maybe the other would heal the wounds. His hands reached down and gripped her bottom, lifting her up so that she was sitting on the kitchen counter. Their lips broke apart and he began to trail hot, wet kisses down her neck. She tilted her head backwards, closing her eyes as she relished the feeling of his lips against her skin. A sigh escaped her lips and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pulled her away from the counter, carrying her towards the stairs. He set her on her feet so that they could walk up the stairs. It was a slow process; both of them kept falling back against the walls.

They reached the top of the stairs, their arms still wrapped around each other. Crashing into their bedroom door, they fell against their bed. Penelope slid backwards so that she was flat on her back. She sighed pleasurably as he slid her loose skirt, baring her panties and luscious thighs to him. Leaning up so she could pull her shirt off, she moaned as his fingers slid under underwear, his index finger circling around her clit. Her nipples raised even higher and her hands clutched at the sheets.

"Oh, God!" she moaned. "Derek, don't you dare stop!" Her whole body was on fire, burning with passion. It was as if her pain was dissolving for the moment. It was being pushed to the back of her mind with each powerful, pleasurable touch her husband bestowed upon her.

"I wasn't planning on it," he panted. He shucked his shirt off, tossing it across the room. She sat up and reached for his belt buckle pulling it roughly off of him and slinging it to the ground. He leaned down and kissed her softly before dropping his pants and boxers, kicking them off his feet. "Oh, God Penelope," he said hoarsely. "Do you know how much I love you?"

She nodded, pulling him close to her body, allowing him to unhook her bra and latch his teeth onto one of her nipples, tugging it gently. "Yes," she said breathlessly. "I love you, too. I can't even express it with words." She let him tear her panties off of her and added, "So let me show you right now."

He crawled on top of her and kissed her lovingly. "I love you," he said, stroking her a few times again before sliding into her tight heat. Both of them gasped at the same time, Penelope digging her nails into the skin on his shoulders. He increased the speed of his thrusts and she moaned loudly. It was as if their spirits were connecting and their hearts beat together in unison. He rolled over so that she was on top of him, riding him slowly. He filled her so completely that she couldn't help but gasp with the friction it created. She increased her speed and leaned down to suckle on his neck. Her lips met his again and the tingling of the beginning of her climax started to creep up her body, filling her with an unbelievable feeling of pleasure. She opened her eyes to look down into his and saw his glittering orbs, now completely dark with passion.

All at once, the feeling became too much to contain and a loud moan filled the room. The very next moment his release spilled inside of her and she fell against his chest, completely satisfied and panting uncontrollably. She stroked his sweaty chest and let him hold her around the waist. "I love you so much," he whispered in her ear, stroking some of her hair behind her ear. Tears filled her eyes and spilled on his skin. "What's wrong, angel?"

She looked at him again and murmured, "We're back together and our family is mending, but it feels like we're still separated. I just want Tala back, but it feels like we've lost her."

He shook his head. "We'll get her back," he said firmly. "She'll get better. I know she will. You help her more than anyone else could."

"We almost lost her for good," she cried softly. "I would never survive if we lost one of our girls."

He shook his head. "We won't. Not ever."

Even though their lovemaking had made her feelings melt to the back of her brain momentarily, everything was crashing down on her again. But instead of going it alone, she had Derek to lean against. She took his hand and kissed him. "I'm so glad I have you back again," she murmured. "I could never do any of this with Tala on my own. I could never be able to help Lindy and Soraya without you. We're better as a team. We can take on the whole _world_ together, just as long as we have each other. And you're right. One day Tala will be herself again and we'll have our baby girl back. I can only hope soon." She let him use his free hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. "I hate that she feels the only way she can get rid of Keith's hold over her is by hurting herself. The medication helps, but it never takes her away from him."

"She may never escape him," he said softly. "Buford has never truly left me. He's always there, dwelling in the farthest corner of my mind. I barely think about him, but he's always there. It may very well be the same thing for Tala."

She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes, letting him hold her in his arms. "We've got one job now," she whispered. "Healing our girls."

"No job will ever be more important to me," he said in earnest.

**Okay, so this one was REALLY tough. But I can pretty much assure you it will be over soon and Tala will be healed. Yet, like Derek and Buford, she'll never recover from Keith completely. Considering I mentioned it in this chapter, I figure I can say that as it's not a spoiler. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	23. Not Alone

**Disclaimer: Criminal Minds doth not belong to myself.**

**Sorry it's been a few days since I updated it with that sad chapter. A lot of people asked about having a scene where Derek has a chat with Tala regarding Buford and how he relates to Keith. So because y'all suggested it, I decided to give the people what they want and write a scene between Derek and his daughter about how time can help heal wounds, but they always leave scars.**

Derek knocked softly on his daughter's door on Saturday afternoon. All day, she'd been asleep, not coming down for anything. Penelope had gone in and checked on her, but she had done nothing but mutter that she wanted to be left alone.

He didn't hear her answer, so he entered the room and found her curled up on her bed in a fetal position, sound asleep and breathing softly. His expression grew tender and he went in and sat down on the edge of her beed. He put a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her awake. He had plans for taking her out. There was a certain chat he had to have with her. A very important conversation. His daughters had no idea he had been molested as a teenager. But he was going to tell Tala now. She had to know that what she was experiencing with Keith Richards haunting her, was the same way Carl Buford still haunted him.

Maybe it would open her up to him. She was talking to Penelope and the therapist, but said very little to him. If she knew she wasn't alone, maybe it would help him get her talking.

Tala's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him, her eyes glazed over with sleep. She blinked several times and murmured sleepily, "What time is it, Dad?"

He rubbed her shoulder comfortingly and said, "It's two in the afternoon, Baby Doll. And I need to show you something. You up for going to the beach?"

"Dad, it's grey skies outside," she muttered, looking out the window briefly. "Why would we go to the beach?"

"We're going there because you and I are going to spend a little time together," he said. He saw her panicked face and added, "The other thing is that we will likely have complete privacy. As you pointed out, it's a somewhat grey day."

She groaned. "Do we have to?"

He nodded. "Yes," he said, kissing the top of her head. "We have to. So be ready to go in ten minutes. 'Kay?" He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Tala stared at him blankly, but nodded. "I'll be down in a few," she grumbled.

Derek went downstairs and found Penelope sitting on the couch, French braiding Lindy's hair. Soraya was sitting on the floor, coloring in one of her coloring books. He smiled at them. They were all quietly going about their Saturday, all three of them spending as much time together as they could.

"Mama," Soraya asked, "when will you do _my_ hair?" She looked up at Penelope and grinned toothily. "I want you to braid it _just_ like that girl in that one movie that Tala and her friends went to see last year. The one she couldn't stop talking about. The one that was about those books she couldn't stop reading."

Lindy rolled her eyes. "You're thinking of Katniss, Raya. The girl from the _Hunger Games_ series," she said. "And you just have to wait your turn."

Penelope nodded, finishing her work on Lindy's hair. "I'm all done," she murmured, kissing the top of Lindy's head. "And you look _beautiful_, Lindy baby."

Turning around, she smiled and nodded. "Thanks Mom," she said. Glancing down at her baby sister, she added, "Your turn, Raya."

Soraya jumped to her feet and plopped down in front of Penelope. "I want my hair done like Katniss!" she said with a huge grin on her face.

"What do you say?" Derek reminded, coming up and planting a kiss on top of Soraya's head.

She sighed and put her hands on her hips. "_Please_?" she asked over dramatically. "Please, will you do my hair like Katniss?"

Penelope looked up at Derek and winked. "Yes," she said to Soraya. "I will absolutely do your hair like Katniss." She picked up the hair brush and started running it through Soraya's dark mahogany hair. "Are you and Tala going out to have that little chat?"

Derek caressed Penelope's cheek and nodded. "Yeah, we're leaving as soon as she gets her butt down here. We're going to the beach." He watched as Lindy raised her brows and opened her mouth to say something, but he laughed before she could tell him how it was illogical to go to the beach on a day without sunshine. "And yes, my silly intellect of a daughter, I am well aware that it is not sunny outside."

Lindy frowned at him and seemed to question his motives with her eyes, but then sighed, deeming it hopeless to try and figure out his planning. She simply rolled her eyes and opened her book, this time a copy of _Mansfield Park_.

Penelope turned her face so that she could kiss the palm of Derek's hand. "You two stay safe," she murmured. She noticed Tala coming down the stairs, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and huge black sweatshirt. "Hey sweetheart," she called to her. "You going to get out with Dad?"

Tala nodded and shoved her hands in her pockets. "Yeah," she mumbled. She looked at Penelope with desperate eyes, as if she wanted her to come instead of Derek. Seeing that she wasn't making a move to come with her, she sighed and looked at Derek. "Ready to go, Dad."

XXXXX

An hour later, Derek and Tala were strolling down on the abandoned beach, neither of them saying anything for a long time. Derek watched as his daughter stared at the dark navy waves in front of them. Her eyes were dead and blank. She just kept her hands in her pockets and gazed the the gray and dark blue scene in front of her. Derek put a hand on her shoulder and she jumped under his touch. He couldn't help but feel slightly hurt that she was having a hard time trusting even him. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. She had been hurt in a deeply emotional way that compared to his experience with Buford. Her trauma she experienced at the hands of Keith Richards was the equivalent of his trauma experienced at the hands of Carl Buford. He had never truly recovered from the abuse; he knew that she would never truly recover from her own abuse.

"Let's sit," he said softly.

Hesitantly, she nodded. "Okay."

Both of them sat in the soft sand and were quiet another few minutes. Derek cleared his throat and started speaking. "You know, Baby Doll," he said, "I know what you're going through."

She snorted. "Oh, really?" she said dryly. "And how would you know anything about how I'm feeling? And don't tell me that you know from seeing victims' reactions. There's no way you can know unless you've felt it. Unless you've felt that dark that does nothing but cover who you were before, you can't possibly know what _this_ is like!" Her fists were clenched and her eyes were on fire with shame and anger. "I feel dirty all the time. All the fucking time!"

Derek was quiet for another moment, letting her cool down before he delivered the news the he did in fact know how that dark felt. "You know, I've never told you girls," he began. "Not many people know about it. Just your mom and the BAU team. But the thing is, I _do_ know how you feel. I know about that dark you're talking about. I've felt it."

"What happened?" she asked. She was cautiously curious now.

He took a deep breath. "When I was a kid, after your grandpa died, I was spending at the community center, learning how to play football, keeping myself busy. The man who ran the center was named Carl Buford. He was the one who taught me how to play football. Started grooming me to be the star on his team." The feelings of when he was younger started to crawl back into his brain and it was weighing down heavily on him. Darkness started coming back to him, coating him a layer of dirt that he had worked so hard to scrub off. Eventually, he had gotten control of it and would be able to take care of it later. Whenever he had a nightmare about it, Penelope was always there to hold him and get him through it. It would be many years before Tala would be able to get to where he was, but she could do it.

She was his daughter, after all.

"Carl Buford...he got me to trust him and treated me better than any of the other boys," he continued. "And he locked onto me. By locking onto me, he took me to his cabin by the lake. He made me drink something he called 'Jesus Juice' and then afterwards...he would - he would molest me." He clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. This was harder than he thought it would be. "And I knew there was something wrong, but there was nothing I could do. He told me to 'look up to the sky' each and every time. It made it almost impossible for me to trust anyone." He turned his head to look at Tala. When he met her gaze, he saw tears in them, misty and floating on the surface of her replica of Penelope's eyes. Her lips were parted slightly and she choked on a lump in her throat.

"Dad..." she murmured. "I had no idea. Why did you never tell me?"

"I wanted to keep you safe from anything that had to do with our jobs," he explained gently. "This isn't anything I wanted you to experience in any way. I'm so sorry that you had this happen to you, Baby Doll. That dark you're talking about, I know exactly what that is. I felt filthy and it took me years to feel like I was getting better. And Buford never really left me. Sometimes I still feel him under my skin. But you know what made it better, better to the point it's so deep that I forget about it most days?"

"What?" she asked tearfully.

He smiled and tilted her chin up. "Your mom brought me back. And then we got married, and we had you. The day I found out she was pregnant with you was the happiest day of my life. You, your mother, and your sisters are the most important people on the planet to me. You bring me back to life. And one day, you'll meet someone who brings out the best in you as well. You'll have children of your own, and the feeling of Keith's hands will dull until you shove it to the back of your mind. You might have moments where you feel the darkness creeping back up, but it'll fade until it's dim and there's only a small flicker left." He wiped her tears with his thumb. "You're so strong, Tala. You'll make it through this, no matter how hard it is at certain points."

She moved closer to him and let him pull her into his arms. Crying against his chest, she sniffled, "I'm so sorry, Dad. I had no idea this happened to you. You never should have had that happen to you."

Kissing the top of her head, he said, "It shouldn't happen to anyone." He stroked her hair back. "I love you, Tala. Don't you ever forget it."

"I won't," she murmured, holding him tightly around the waist.

**I changed the summary because I felt the other one wasn't fitting with the story. Tala was definitely mentionable in it as she's one of the three most important characters. So, I included OC in the characters section and fixed the summary to fit her in.**


	24. It's Just Starting

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So, I found this in my files...I had forgotten to post it when I finished it. I'm hoping to wrap this one up soon because I'm getting sad just rereading some of these chapters :( Anyhow, I've been plotting my next M/G story and hopefully it won't be this sad. Angsty, yes; like this...no. Thank you for the reviews, and as always, PLEASE REVIEW AND ENJOY!**

**On another note, CeeCee333 and I have a joint account in which we have started a story together. The account is morganxgarciaxxx if you all are interested.**

Penelope was cleaning up after dinner and Derek came in, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He settled his chin in the crook of her neck and kissed the skin there. "Hey, Baby Girl," he murmured. "You want any help cleaning up?"

She turned in his arms and shook her head. "No," she murmured. "I'm all done." She put her hands on his cheeks. "How did your talk with Tala go? I didn't get a chance to ask because you guys got back as we were sitting down for dinner. She was quiet, just like every night."

He planted a kiss on her forehead. "She took it...well, she took it like I expected she would," he said, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "It's not going to be easy for her, but she knows she's not alone."

Penelope's lower lip trembled and she rested her head against her husband's chest. "I hate that this happened to you...to Tala. It's not...it's just not _fair_. You really can't be good and keep yourself out of bad things' ways. Every time I think about what Buford did to you, or what Keith did to our baby, I just want to wring their filthy necks!"

Derek put a finger to her lips and shook his head. "I want you to calm down, Baby," he said. "We're going to bring Tala back. She'll get through this. I want you to know that she will. You're the biggest help to her anyone could ever be. She opens up to you more than anyone else." He tilted his head in the direction of the staircase. "I bet she would like to talk to you. You _are_ the only person outside of therapy she'll talk to." He noticed as she glanced at the stairs as well. Stroking her cheek with his thumb, he nudged her in the direction of the stairs and said, "Go."

She nodded. "Okay," she said.

As she reached the top of the stairs, she went to Tala's door and knocked softly. Hearing her daughter's soft, "Come in," she opened the door and found Tala sitting on the floor, her back leaning against her bed and her eyes closed. The room was dimly lit and the soft sounds of Iron and Wine filled her ears. On her night table was a stick of lavender incense. Dr. Janson had recommended it to calm her while she was alone in her room.

Right then, she had removed her sweatshirt and her arms were entirely bare because she was wearing a plain white tank top. The thick white scars from when she had tried to commit suicide were clearly visible. They brought tears to Penelope's eyes every time she saw them. She didn't know if she would ever be able to keep the tears at bay when it came to Tala. Almost losing her had driven her maternal anxiety to unmentionable proportions.

The part that caught Penelope's attention about what she saw in front of her though, was the snapping of her the rubber bands against Tala's wrists. She was desperately trying to stay in control at the moment. The faster the snapping, the more anxious she was feeling. Penelope had taken to noticing the little things that gave away exactly how Tala was feeling.

"Hey, sweetie," she murmured, closing the door behind her. She sat down next to Tala and sighed internally as she kept her eyes closed and continued snapping the bands. "How you hanging in right now?" Tala kept up her routine, biting her bottom lip. She didn't say anything and Penelope touched her shoulder. "Baby Doll?"

Jumping, Tala's eyes snapped open and there were tears floating beneath her eye lids. Her motions stopped abruptly, but after a few seconds, she resumed her snapping. "Mom?" she whispered. "How did you find out about Dad? How could that happen to him?" Tears started rolling down her cheeks in soft trickles.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, Penelope kissed the top of Tala's short haired head. "Oh, sweetheart," she said. "I know it's sad. But your dad survived it. And so will you."

Tala kept herself against Penelope and sniffled. "I hate that man, just like I hate Keith," she hissed. "They deserve to burn in hell."

"They do," Penelope murmured. "They absolutely do. And Carl Buford already is. And Keith will too...one day, anyway."

XXXXX

Derek was called into Strauss' office at eight in the morning, almost a minute after he entered his office. Rolling his eyes, he set his briefcase down and started for the Section Chief's office. He was not looking forward to the conversation that was about to come from Strauss. Since their encounter at his home all those months ago, they had an icy relationship. Derek's case load had been severely downgraded after his indefinite suspension ended after two months and she had given him as much paperwork as she possibly could. But after awhile Hotch convinced her that they needed him in the field.

That didn't change the fact that she was bitter towards him any time their paths crossed.

"You wanted to see me, ma'am," he said dryly as he walked into Strauss' office. He cocked a brow at her and waited expectantly for an answer.

Strauss looked up at him frostily. "Ah, Agent Morgan," she said. "I see you got my message." She gestured towards one of the seats in front of her desk. "Please...have a seat."

He glared at her, but he sat anyway. "What do you need me for?" he asked tiredly. "I think we have a case. I need to be there for the briefing."

Strauss sat back in her chair and folded her hands in front of her. She fixed him with a sharp look and said, "I know you have a case, but you can be briefed on the jet. This is more important."

"What is it?" he asked impatiently. "I -"

"Agent Morgan, just listen to me," she snapped. "I understand that the two of us are not getting along very well, but this is something you'll want to hear." She sighed. "You'll be interested to hear news regarding Keith Roberts."

Derek's interest peaked and his jaw clenched. "What about him?" he asked hardly.

"He's dead," she said bluntly. "He was killed in a prison fight. Stabbed to death."

Tala popped up into Derek's mind. Though she was talking to him again, she snapped her rubber bands against her wrists constantly. It unnerved him. He just wanted his daughter back. More than anything, he just wanted to see her smile again. He hated having nothing but pictures to remind him of how she looked when she was happy. His heart ached every time he saw her, her spirit obviously broken and her eyes lacking the light they once held.

Strauss sighed, breaking his thought process. "Agent Morgan, I hope this will put your mind at ease," she said stiffly. "And as Agent Hotchner would tell you all, you're wheels up in twenty minutes. I would get going to the airfield."

Derek rolled his eyes, unable to stop thinking she was a bitch. Some things never changed, though.

XXXXX

"Hey, Hot Stuff," Penelope chirped into her blue tooth as she was running around the kitchen. Lindy and Soraya were out with friends, leaving her and Tala alone in the house. In an attempt to get her out of her shell some more, Penelope had insisted on the two of them baking. When Tala had been little, maybe five or six, the two of them would bake all the time.

"_Mama," Tala said, tugging on Penelope's skirt. "Did I do this right?" She pointed to the bowl of purple cake batter that was going into the cake for Lindy's second birthday. "I think I did, but I'm not sure."_

_Penelope looked into the mixing bowl and observed Tala's work. She clucked her tongue. "Use the whisk a little more, Baby," she said, kissing the top of her curly mahogany head. "See, you've still got some egg yolk in there."_

_Tala nodded and grinned. "Baking is fun, Mama! We should do this more."_

"_Baking can be our thing, how does that sound?" Penelope asked, stroking some of her daughter's hair back._

"_Sounds _great_, Mama!" she said excitedly._

"You on your way out to the jet?" she asked, wiping her flour-covered hands on her apron.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, but eventually he murmured, "Yeah."

She halted what she was doing and asked, "What's up? You sound...off." He was still silent. "Okay, Derek, you're really worrying me. What's going on?"

"Baby, it's Keith," he said. "He - he was killed in prison."

Penelope halted what she was doing immediately and her mouth dropped open. As she did, Tala reentered the kitchen, snapping her rubber bands the entire time, a grim expression on her face. When she saw Penelope's face, she tilted her head to the side and cocked an eyebrow, a feature highly reminiscent of her father.

"So...it's over?" she breathed in a raspy voice.

"It's over," he said quietly. "Are you gonna tell Tala?"

Biting her lip, Penelope nodded tearfully, even though there was no one she was nodding at. "Yeah," she whispered. "Yeah, I am. I'm gonna go, okay?"

"I love you," he said. "Tell the girls I love them, too."

"I will." Pushing the "off" button on her blue tooth, she turned to Tala and wiped some of her tears from her cheeks. "Hey, Baby."

Tala leaned against the counter and looked at her mother curiously. "What's going on?" she asked cautiously. "You're crying. Is everything okay?"

Penelope walked towards Tala and pulled her into a tight hug, almost squishing her ribs. "Everything's perfect," she said against Tala's hair. She pulled back and touched her daughter's cheek. "Oh, baby..."

Looking at Penelope with an utterly confused look, Tala shook her head. "Alright, I give up," she said. "What's going on? I'm not getting what you're trying to say."

"It's Keith," she said. "He was killed in prison." Tears rolled down her cheeks in streams and she sniffled. But she wasn't sad. She wasn't sad at all. The tears she was shedding were ones of happiness. This might very well be a stepping stone for Tala to return to her former identity. "It's over, Tala."

Tala's face was blank at first, but tears filled her eyes and she hugged Penelope tightly to her. "No," she whispered. "It's just starting."

But she didn't mean the pain; she meant the healing.


	25. Graduation

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**I'm thinking this will be the final chapter of this sad little tale. Since Keith is dead now, it leaves us some room for some happiness finally. I hope you enjoy this finale. Thank you for the kind reviews and I hope you continue to enjoy :) PLEASE REVIEW!**

**PS - I decided to play nice with Kevin and include him. I'm watching Buffy right now, so that sort of contributes to it.**

_1 Year Later_

"I will never, ever let you slip away again," Penelope murmured as she lay on top of Derek one late Saturday night. Both of them were sweaty and sated after making love three times already. After having been separated for six months and not having sex with anyone, they were going at it like rabbits whenever they could. Currently, Soraya was asleep in bed, while Lindy and Tala were in the basement watching a _Supernatural_ marathon.

He looked up at her and put a lock of her hair behind her ear. "And I won't let you get away from me either," he said.

"How can you forgive me for being so terrible to you?" she murmured, tracing the lines of his still well-defined muscles. Even in his fifties, Derek still retained the iron strong body he'd had in his younger years. And the other half of it...she still loved touching him. Every plane of his body was still her favorite surface to touch.

"Because I love you, silly girl," he said with a smile, touching their lips softly. "I'll always forgive you..._always_."

Penelope sighed and rested her head against his firm chest. "God, our life is about to change so much," she murmured. "Our baby is _graduating _tomorrow! It's really been eighteen years since she was just a little girl learning how to crawl."

He laughed, vibrating beneath her. "She's going to be okay," he said. "Tala's made a lot of progress from where she was last year. Her life is just beginning. She's been so strong." His arms wrapped around her hips and he swatted her bottom playfully. She giggled and he repeated it. "You like that?"

"You know I do," Penelope purred. After her small tease, she looked back down at him and added, "I'm just glad we got our daughter back. I know she snaps those rubber bands still, but her moods are getting more regulated and she's not tried to hurt herself anymore." She sighed. "I just wish her scars would go away. They remind her of what happened, what she went through." The thick white scars from her suicide attempt still covered her arms, and according to the doctor, they always would. But though the physical scars would remain, she would grow to be stronger and keep herself strong.

Derek began to trace the length of her spine with the tips of his fingers. "Oh, Baby," he said. "She'll be okay. I _know_ she will be. She's _your_ daughter. And if there's one thing I've picked up about you over the years of our almost twenty years of marriage, it's that you are the strongest person I know."

"Oh, Baby Boy," she murmured, touching his cheek. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!" He snickered and slid his hand between their bodies and began tapping her sensitive pleasure spot. Her eyes closed and a soft moan escaped her lips. How the hell did he manage to make her so turned on by just brushing his fingers across her? A flood of wetness came between her legs and she began to position herself over him. "God, we're insatiable," she panted, sinking down onto him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he grunted as she began to move over him.

XXXXX

Tala leaned her head back against the couch as the end credits of an episode of _Supernatural_ played on the screen. Tomorrow she was graduating high school. Her fingers went to her rubber bands and she began snapping them. Her anxiety level was going through the roof. Ever since she and her sisters had been taken, she'd been more nervous about everything. Most of her friends hadn't understood her psyche, and she had spent the entirety of her senior year as a loner. People were either afraid of her because of the incident of breaking Ashley Jenkins' arm or because they took one look at her scars and run for the hills, and they were afraid to set her off. Despite having been kicked of the soccer team though, she had still made it into Georgetown.

Her life hadn't been so terrible after she found out Keith Roberts had died.

"Tala, are you nervous about graduating?" Lindy asked, looking over at her sister.

She looked at her little sister and shook her head. "I'm indifferent to it," she muttered, trying hard to focus on Sam and Dean Winchester. She loved her sister, but she had no desire to talk about anything regarding her future. In fact, talking at all wasn't preferable. She just wanted to relax and watch TV.

But Lindy was persistent.

"Are you excited?"

"Yes," she said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm ready to leave high school behind." _And the past_, she added silently.

Lindy nodded, apparently deciding that she'd had enough of questioning her sister. "Okay then," she said, returning her attention to the TV.

XXXXX

Penelope, Derek, their younger daughters, and the BAU family, even Kevin and Anderson, were sitting in the football stadium of Tala's high school, waiting for the ceremony to start. Squeezing Derek's hand, Penelope said, "God, can you believe our baby is graduating?" Tears filed her eyes. "It seems like yesterday she was still crawling across the carpet." Stroking Soraya's hair back, she looked at her fondly. "And in just a short time our other babies will be graduating. It's all happening so fast!"

Soraya looked over at her mother and grinned. "Mama, you've still got ten years before I graduate! Don't act so _melodramatic_."

Rossi smirked at her. "Where did you hear _that _word, Raya, _bella_?"

She turned her grin to her Uncle Dave. "TV," she said. "I heard it on _Pretty Little Liars_. Spencer said it. And Spencer is my _favorite_."

Lindy rolled her eyes. "That show is so dumb," she grumbled.

"You're such a little cynic," Derek laughed, kissing the top of her head.

"Hey, that show is interesting," Emily said, speaking up in defense of the show. She'd flown in from London specifically to see Tala graduate. "For a girly show, anyway."

"_You_ of all people watch that show, Em?" JJ asked skeptically.

Before Emily could make a snappy retort though, the music started, signaling that the ceremony was beginning. Penelope and Derek sat up straighter, eager to see their daughter appear in her red cap and gown.

Penelope covered her mouth with her hand and smiled widely. Pride filled her heart as she watched Tala. Her daughter's expression was one of indifference, despite the fact this was a first step towards her future. Her heart ached slightly as she watched her snapping her rubber bands and looking around nervously. She could almost feel the anxiety Tala was feeling. At the same moment, her eyes found Penelope's. Giving her daughter a comforting smile, she gave her a thumbs up.

To her utter joy, Tala returned the smile, albeit softer and more hesitant. She also figured it was more for Penelope's benefit than her own. But it was a smile nonetheless.

They watched as the ceremony continued through the usual speeches that went along with graduation days. When the names began to get read and the diplomas were being handed out, Penelope squeezed Derek's hand tightly and he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Don't be so nervous. She'll be fine."

She turned to look at him and nodded, biting her lip in the process. "I know," she said. "I just hope she's okay up there."

He rubbed her arm soothingly. "Stop worrying."

The names continued on until they reached the "M"s. When Tala's name was called, both Penelope and Derek smiled broadly. This was their daughter's shining moment. They were thrilled for her. Even Tala was smiling now.

After the ceremony had ended and they all met up with her outside the gate the stadium and Penelope immediately wrapped her in a tight hug. Kissing the side of her head, she said, "Oh Baby, I'm so proud of you! This is such a wonderful - Oh, and I'm going to have to break out the party food when we get home! And, and -"

Tala shook her head. "Mom, slow down," she said, shaking her head. "Chill out."

Wiping some tears from her eyes, she nodded, "You're right. You're right. I just need to calm down."

Derek put his hands on her shoulders. "Yeah, yeah you do," he said. Then he went around his wife and pulled Tala into a hug. "Congratulations, Baby Doll. High school's finally over for you."

Rossi went to her next and kissed both her cheeks. "Congratulations, _bella_. You looked _magnifico _accepting that diploma."

Tala smiled slightly. "Thanks, Uncle Dave," she said.

Soraya ran up to Tala and threw her arms around her waist. "Yeah, Tala!" she cried. "I can't wait to watch you open your presents! Uncle Hotch and Aunt Beth got you something really special. Well, everyone got you something special. I just -"

Lindy put her hand over Soraya's mouth. "Stop talking, Raya," she said. "We've got to get to the open house. Then Tala can open her presents without you spoiling any of them."

Emily smiled. "Well then, let's get you to the party," she said enthusiastically.

XXXXX

Night had fallen and the Morgans' yard was lit up from the torches Penelope had bought the week before. The whole yard was decked out especially by Penelope, the party planner extraordinaire. Currently, she was standing on the patio, looking into her back lawn at Tala and the people around her. She smiled fondly, joyful that she was talking to people.

Strong arms wrapped around her from behind and held her close to his chest. She smiled pleasurably and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against her husband's chest. "Mmm," she murmured. "Hi, Hot Stuff."

His lips touched her neck. "Hi, Baby Girl," he said. "How you doing?"

She opened her eyes and looked back at Tala. She was still talking and making conversation with their guests. "I'm just so happy Tala's opening up. She's doing so great. Snapping the bands, but still great."

He smiled. "She's growing up," he said. "Like I told you, she's strong. Just like her mama."

Turning in his arms so that she was facing him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I would say she's just like her daddy, rather than her mama. You taught her how to go on from pain. Don't ever forget that." And the she pulled his face down for a kiss.

He held her against the railing and kissed her back.

The clearing of a throat stopped their kiss and they looked towards the noise. Tala was smirking at them. "Good to know you two are feeling like your old selves," she snickered. "Nauseating as ever."

Keeping her arm around Derek's waist, Penelope nodded. "Just like our old selves," she confirmed.

Nodding in satisfaction, she said, "Good. I'm glad. To tell you the truth, I am, too."

Ecstatic, Penelope threw her arms around Tala. "Oh, I'm so glad!" she cried happily. "And no anxiety right now?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I'm feeling pretty normal right now."

Penelope pulled back and touched Tala's cheek. "I'm so proud of you, Tala," she said. "Despite it all, you came back. And you're stronger than ever."

"Yeah, yeah I am," she said. "I came so close to losing everything, but you guys helped me hold onto it." She nodded. "Thank you. I love you both."

"We love you, too, Baby Doll," Derek said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

Penelope smiled again, tears floating on the surface of her eyes. "We love you, too...more than words can say."


End file.
